


Life isn't easy, when you're in love with your daughter's teacher

by foxyroxi



Series: Dadyard, Dadsten and Rose [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aaron and Kevin is in established relationship, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Andrew is a dad, Andrew is a sap, Andrew is a single father, Andrew names Rose after her mother, Andrew works as an FBI agent, Barebacking, Death in Childbirth, Drinking, Established Andrew/Neil down the road, Explicit Sexual Content, Halloween, He loves his daughter, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of past abuse, Neil adopts Rose, Neil and Andrew gets married, Neil is a pre-school teacher, No Condom, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-High School, Pregnancy, Rimming, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Smut, They almost have sex, Weddings, break room fun, child birth, drinking alcohol, high school sweethearts, implied kevin/andrew, they are a background character, uncle aar and uncle kiwie, uncle kiwie is kevin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:41:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24607150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxyroxi/pseuds/foxyroxi
Summary: Andrew Joseph Minyard, twenty-six years old and a plethora of insecurities was a single father to his newborn daughter, Rose Addison Minyard.He doesn't know how to navigate parenthood, but with a little help, he manages.
Relationships: Kevin Day/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Series: Dadyard, Dadsten and Rose [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832173
Comments: 160
Kudos: 375





	1. Rose Addison Minyard

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to say thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for jumping on his wagon with me and beta'ing it!
> 
> I don't know how long this will be, but this is currently planned to be 10+ chapters but it could change. There also won't be a fixed schedule because of work and life in general. 
> 
> The first chapter is very tearful towards the end, but things will be better in chapter two and onwards! I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as I have enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Neil won't be in chapter 1, but he will be in chapter 2!
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!
> 
> Note 22/6/2020: I've updated tags and the rating of the fic because of chapter 6 and 7!  
> Note 12/7/2020: Tags have been updated because of Chapter 11!

“I want a baby.”

It wasn’t exactly the words Andrew had expected to hear from his twenty-two year old best friend, barely ready to graduate from college with a degree in biochemistry. They were in the College library, studying for their respective classes. It was summer of their senior year of college and they had been friends since their freshman year and best friends since their sophomore year. He would never forget how her hair was cut into an ashen colored short bob and how her bright grey eyes sparked when her gaze caught his. It was almost an instant connection, but Andrew would deny it every minute of the day.

Addison had never hidden the fact that she wanted to be a young mom and to marry young, and Andrew had been happy for her when she introduced him to her fiancé halfway into their sophomore year. James was a nice man, Andrew thought when he first met him, even if he was a bit on the odd side of normal. That was until he broke off their relationship, three months before their wedding, when he said that he was only playing her. Andrew had wanted to throttle the bastard. Addison had been devastated, because now everything fell apart. All of her carefully laid plans thrown away by a stupid bastard who wanted nothing but a good lay. Andrew had helped her email her family and all the attendees before he helped her return the wedding dress to the store, who thankfully gave her the money back.

That had been three months before summer vacation of their sophomore year. Addison had spent the entire summer vacation on Andrew’s couch, because she couldn’t bear to be alone and Andrew didn’t want her to be. Andrew had asked Aaron and Kevin if it was okay that she was staying over until she was feeling better, and they had no problem with it. Andrew was thankful and it wasn’t often he was thankful for anything and Kevin and Aaron knew that.

It was unclear to Andrew why Addison was suddenly saying she wanted a baby. He knew she wanted children and a family and she also knew it couldn’t be with him.

“I’m gay.”

“I know Andrew, Jesus,” Addison laughed, shaking her head. “I know you’re gay, I’ve known since we met each other you don’t have to remind me.”

“Then I don’t know where this conversation is going Addie,” he said as he leaned back in his chair in the library. He reached up to the ring he wore on a silver chain around his neck – a ring he had had since high school, covered with the indents of too many touches and the few good memories he held from yet another horrible foster house. “Tell me where this is going Addie.”

“I want a baby – no, Andrew, let me fucking finish!” she laughed when Andrew was about to interrupt her again. Andrew didn’t know how she could still laugh with everything she had gone through. “I want a baby and I want you to father it.”

Andrew stared at her because he had never even considered becoming a parent. Kids frightened him to the extent he left a restaurant or café if they began to cry. He stared at her for a long time, clutching his necklace, wondering what Alex would say if he was here.

“I know it’s a lot to ask of you. I’ll pay you of course and you can say no but… Andrew… You are my best friend and I know this is a big decision for you to make and I know you will want to be involved in the baby’s life and you will be tied to me forever but –”

“Yes.”

She stared. It wasn’t often she was left speechless. “What?”

“Yes. I will do it.”

Addison almost squealed loud enough to get them kicked out of the library and it wouldn’t be a first. She wrapped her arms around Andrew’s neck and pressed her lips repeatedly against his cheeks and forehead.

“Oh my god, Drew. Thank you. Thank you, thank you thank you!” She said, smiling widely when she finally pulled back. He could tell she had unshed tears in her eyes and her lower lip was wobbling. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders now shaking. Andrew wasn’t big on physical contact, years of abuse does that to someone, but he would more times than not, accept a hug or a kiss on the cheek from Addison.

“Thank you so much Andrew. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

Andrew knew, but he just buried his nose in her wavy ash blonde hair, letting her cry out her relief.

They didn’t try until Andrew had a stable job as a social worker in South Carolina, where Addison had been accepted into Medical University of South Carolina together with Aaron. It meant that they all shared an apartment and Andrew couldn’t say he minded. Kevin came by whenever he could get time off from playing Exy, which wasn’t often, but at least Aaron wasn’t lonely. Addison had lost contact with her family when she announced that she and Andrew were going to have a baby together, even if Andrew was gay. He had only met her family a few times, but he didn’t like them, and Addison wasn’t too fond of her Southern Texas family either, so it had been an easy decision.

Getting Addison pregnant turned out to be a lot more challenging. He had to cum in countless cups and sometimes he was so pent up he filled the cup, sometimes nerves got the better of him and he couldn’t perform. He was glad he didn’t have to do the rest – how Addison got his semen from his cup and inside of her was not his problem and honestly, it made him a little queasy thinking about it.

And nothing happened. It was getting more and more disappointing to see the pregnancy test turn negative when he thought about how many cups he had filled with his semen. He knew it was hard on Addison as well because she desperately wanted this, wanted a baby, wanted to become a mom, wanted to have at least one of her dreams come true after the whole fiancee fiasco. And Andrew wanted that for her because he knew how good a mother she would become. It was hard to watch Addison get her hopes up, only to get disappointed with herself and for Andrew to get disappointed with himself whenever a single line from the pharmacy-bought pregnancy test stared mockingly back at him.

They tried and they tried again and then there was a positive pregnancy test a year and a half into trying. But the happiness didn’t last because Addison miscarried. It was devastating to watch her go through that kind of pain, and Addison almost gave up on trying to get a baby, but Andrew had somehow convinced her not to stop, because at this point, Andrew was as invested in this baby project as she was.

On the day Andrew got accepted into the FBI’s academy in Quantico, Virginia, Addison came home from work, glowing and with a smile spread all over her face. She looked happier than she had been for a long time, but Andrew couldn’t exactly pinpoint what had made her so happy. She came up to him, put the envelope in front of him and smiled.

“Open it,” she said, and Andrew raised an eyebrow. He took the envelope and handed her his own.

“Open it,” he said, and Addison shot him a look. They opened the letters at the same time, a loud gasp accompanied by a lower gasp echoing in their apartment.

“You got in!!”   
“You’re pregnant?”

They said it at the same time, causing Addison to laugh out, her laughter filled with glee. Andrew couldn’t help but stare. That was why she was glowing, that was why she was seemingly happier than she had been for a while.

“I am Drew,” she said, holding a hand to her stomach. “I’m really pregnant. Twelve weeks. I wanted to make sure I didn’t have a miscarriage like last time. I mean I still could, but everything’s looking great and the baby is looking great… I just didn’t want to disappoint you by losing another child.”

Andrew stepped around the kitchen island and stopped once he was standing in front of her. He always forgot how Addison was 5’6’’ and he had to crane his neck to look up at her. He reached out and touched her stomach and the slight bump there was to it now that he could feel it.

“I was never disappointed in you Addie… I was more… Disappointed in myself more than anything,” he admitted, and it wasn’t often Andrew admitted to being wrong, his family knew that first handedly. “I got into the academy.” The admission made Addison grin.

“That you did Drew. And you will do amazing. They will be lucky to have you within their ranks.” She leaned in and pressed her lips against Andrew’s forehead and Andrew let her. Things would be okay now.

Andrew moved to Quantico, Virginia for his twenty week training course with the FBI. It was hard to leave South Carolina, hard to leave his brother and pregnant best friend behind while he went through rigorous training exercises and more often than not, he considered quitting, because his old job would still be waiting for him if he decided that this wasn’t for him. But then he thought about Aaron and how he was going through Med school and how Addison was pregnant with  _ their _ baby.

_ His _ baby.

It always left him breathless when he thought about becoming a father, mostly because he had spent most of his life hating every foster father and foster brother he had ever come across. His hatred was so big and consuming, he didn’t want to parent any child himself, because he didn’t think he would do a great job raising a child nor did he think a child would ever want his shitty DNA pool. But Addison had chosen him, because she loved him despite his tiny size, his snarky comments and his limited capabilities to show emotions. When he graduated, Addison, who was very much pregnant at this point, Aaron, Kevin, and Bee showed up to watch him get his badge and credential from the academy, before they all would head back to South Carolina, where he already had a job waiting at the field office in Columbia. Andrew had already packed up his apartment and someone would move in the next day, while they figured out how to fit a baby room into their shared apartment and what shade the walls should be painted in.

Addison and Andrew didn’t want to know the gender of their child, so they only bought clothes in gender neutral colors. White, grey, beige, yellow. Andrew didn’t care about the gender as long as the baby was healthy. They had a full room ready for the baby when Addison was eight months pregnant and looked like she was ready to pop. At this point Aaron was as excited about his baby niece as Andrew was about becoming a father. He was nervous and anxious and while he hadn’t gone out drinking or clubbing for a long time, he needed an outlet for all the pent up anxious and nervous energy. He was halfway through a packet of cigarettes, half a bottle of whisky and currently getting his cock sucked by a blue eyed, red headed stranger when Addison called, sound frantic and in pain.

“Andrew… you have to come home. Something’s wrong,” she cried and dropped her phone. He didn’t manage to say anything before he could hear Aaron in the background, telling Addie to breath and relax, until he finally picked up Addison’s phone.

“She’s in labour. I’ll take her to the hospital, so meet us there,” Aaron said, helping Addison down to his car. “I’ll text which hospital,” he finished before the line went dead.

Andrew sighed and pushed the boy away from him, his cock already flaccid from the call.

“Sorry, gotta go. Family emergency,” Andrew said as he pulled up his jeans and closed them. “Nice meeting you.”

“Will I see you again?” The stranger called after him.

“Don’t count on it,” Andrew shot back before he left the place and ran to the hospital Aaron had texted him the address to. The cab driver rushed to the hospital because Andrew was in no shape to drive and he wasn’t about to put his job at risk, plus not risking a repeat of his long forgotten mother’s drunk driving. He met Aaron out in the hall, smelling like spilled liquor and nicotine.

“You really went out to party?”

“I did. Addie said she was okay, and I needed to just… get out. And there’s still three weeks until she’s due.”

“She went into preterm labor, but the baby’s vitals are good and so is Addison’s. I would recommend that you go home, shower, brush your teeth and then come back because you reek Andrew. I promise I will stay here with her. I’ll call you if something happens.”

Andrew simply gave his brother a flat look before he did just as he told him to. “Thank you,” he told Aaron before he left the hospital, taking a cab back home to shower, change his clothes and brush his teeth. He packed a few things for the baby and for Addison before he returned to her hospital room.

“What took you so long!?” Addison hissed when he finally walked in, looking way better than his anxious clubbing self..

“Aaron told me to go home and shower,” Andrew said and walked to the windowsill putting the bag down by the wall. “I brought you and baby some clothes.” He walked over to the bed and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. He took Addison’s hand into his and she squeezed it.

“I’m glad you are here Drew,” she gasped when a painful contraction hit her. “Fuck. Ow.”

“Stop whining. You wanted this.”

“I know, but I didn’t think it would hurt this much,” she sobbed, and Andrew pressed a single kiss to the back of her hand, the other resting on her stomach, feeling the baby move around. It always amazed him how a female body could handle this. How a female body could hold another body within itself.

“You are amazing Addie. And I’m proud of you.”

She smiled; her eyes wet as she stared at Andrew.

“I love you Andrew. You are my best friend and I’ll never forget you did this for me.”

“I love you too Addie. Now stop making me say things I’ll regret.”

She laughed and Andrew’s heart swelled at the sound.

They got a peaceful 45 minutes with their daughter – Rose. They hadn’t talked about baby names or what last name their baby should have, but the second they saw her, they knew what her first name should be. They filled out her birth certificate, or her first name at least, and Andrew took a lot of pictures of Addison with Rose lying on her chest, he got Aaron to take some of them, even if Andrew didn’t want his picture taken.

But something went wrong during labour. There had been some bleeding after the placenta had been delivered, but the doctor said that it was normal. It was Aaron who noticed how pale Addison was getting and how red the covers was getting. He put Andrew’s phone back into his bag by the window, then pushed the call button by Addison’s bed. A nurse came in ten minutes later, noticing how Aaron was going over her vitals and how Addison’s pulse dropped. The nurse hit another button and the room erupted into chaos from one second to the next.

“Andrew…” Addison said, her voice was no louder than a whisper. She was shaking, as if she was cold. “Take good care of her. Raise her right. Protect her and love her and tell her… How much her mommy loves her and how proud I am of her.” She was clutching Rose against her chest as if it was her last chance to be this close to her own version of a pipe dream.

“Shut up. You’re going to make it and we will raise her together; you hear me? Don’t you dare leave me now Addison.” It wasn’t a threat, but it could have been if it weren’t for his voice cracking and his lower lip trembling ever so slightly. She laughed and pulled Andrew down, their forehead pressed together over Rose’s. “You’ll make it.” It was a whisper because he didn’t want to wake Rose up.

“Promise me Drew… Yeah?”

Andrew nodded, holding back his tears. He wasn’t going to cry. He was going to be strong for Addison and for Rose. His family. Addison pressed a final kiss to Rose’s forehead before she handed her to Andrew and was wheeled out of the room. Andrew cradled his sleeping daughter against his chest, burying his nose in her fine baby hair and took in the unique baby scent she already had.

“I’ll protect you; I’ll raise you and I’ll teach you how to be an independent woman and I’ll be a better man for you. Mommy’s strong. She’ll make it, don’t you worry.” A nurse came by and collected Rose so she could be checked out properly. Andrew began to pace the room, then Aaron came and took him down to the waiting area, waiting to hear news about Addison.

The surgeon came out of the double doors and she looked visibly upset. Because she had just lost a healthy twenty-six year, first time mother to postpartum hemorrhage.

Addison didn’t make it. And now Andrew Joseph Minyard, twenty-six years old and a plethora of insecurities was a single father.

Andrew ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the blonde strands. He wanted to pull out all of his hair and he wanted to scream, because it was just that unfair. Why did Addison have to die? Why? She had wanted this for years, only for her dream to kill her. He had to call his work, because there was no way he was coming in tomorrow or any of the following days, because there was no way he was bringing Rose with him to work, even if it was just a desk job at this point. Aaron held him up, bringing him back to Addison’s room with all of their belongings. He picked up his phone and scrolled through the pictures.

His gallery was filled with pictures of Addison and Rose and the few Aaron took of him, Addison, and Rose. It was filled with old pictures of Addison, of Aaron and Kevin and snapshots of smiles his daughter would never see live. He missed her already and she hadn’t even been gone long.

Addison had been his best friend since he was eighteen and starting college on a sports scholarship. And even when the word monster was thrown around more often than not by his teammates, even when no one could see through the hazy fog of medication, she had always been there for him, and him for her. Rose deserved to have two parents instead of one who had emotional limitations, but he had promised Addison he would raise her, protect her and teach her right from wrong. He had promised he would tell Rose that her mommy was proud of her and that she loves her, even when she can’t be there.

Aaron stood in the door, leaning against the doorframe, watching Andrew carefully. He had collected Addison’s jewelry and was holding it delicately between his fingers. He walked over to Andrew and put them in his hand.

“I’m sorry Andrew,” was all Aaron said to his twin brother. Addison had been his friend too, but she was Andrew’s best friend.

Andrew looked down at the jewelry in his hand, closing his first around it. When Rose was old enough, he would give these to her and tell her these jewelries were her mother’s most prized possessions, besides from her.

He picked up Rose’s birth certificate and filled out the rest of the paper, knowing exactly what her name was going to be, before he handed it over to a nurse.

_ Rose Addison Minyard. _


	2. Meeting Mr. Josten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One day he drops Rose off at pre-school, he meets her new teacher, Mr. Josten. As his daughter had described, Mr. Josten had fiery red hair, pretty blue eyes and a few faded scars on his face. Andrew immediately knew he was screwed. 
> 
> And he had seen those blue eyes somewhere before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for jumping on his wagon with me and betaing Chapter 2!
> 
> I don't know how long this will be, but this is currently planned to be 10+ chapters but it could change depending on things. There also won't be a fixed schedule because of work and life in general. 
> 
> As promised - Neil is in this chapter towards the end!
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!

After Rose had been born, he stayed with Aaron in their shared apartment. Aaron had been a big help when it came to looking after Rose when she was small, because he could take some of his classes from home and because he wasn’t sure how he would have managed to take care of her by himself even if she was an easy child who rarely cried or made a fuss. He still had to work and for the first few months of parenthood, he worked in odd hours, still trying to figure out when to sleep and when to work. Wymack and Bee were blessings in disguise as they would come and pick Rose up so he could get some sleep or really work, since the cases were beginning to pile up on his desk. When he started working in the field office with long hours at the Bureau and Aaron was busy with school, Wymack would pick Rose up from Andrew’s office after morning practice and take her to work for the day, sometimes Bee would come and bring her to work.

Rose grew up looking more and more like her mother, except she had inherited Andrew’s small fine nose, his hazel eyes, and his platinum blonde hair, but everything else was entirely Addison. Her full lips, the shape of her eyes and her high cheekbones. She was a beautiful child and he told her that on a daily basis, because he didn’t want her to doubt that.

Rose was a year old when Aaron moved out with Kevin in their shared apartment when Kevin was home from games. Andrew turned Aaron’s bedroom into Rose’s new and bigger bedroom and Rose’s old bedroom into a small study. Addison’s room became a guest bedroom and Aaron occasionally stayed there when he slept over. Rose was bubbly and lively, and she was what Andrew needed after days of extracting information out of computers or from people they were investigating, helping investigators get the files and data for the information they needed. And sometimes the cases hit too close to home, reminding Andrew of his own past. On those days, he let Rose sleep next to him in his bed, one of his hands placed on her chest, feeling her heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest.

He would love her, and he would protect her, and he would raise her right. He would tell her she could live her life however she wanted, and she could do whatever she wanted, and he would still love her. He would tell her she was capable of extraordinary bravery and he would tell her he loved her everyday until he drew his last breath.

**_Four years later_ **

****

“Rose! It’s time to leave. Kevin will be here to pick you up in twenty minutes,” Andrew called from the kitchen of his and Rose’s apartment. They had moved into a similar apartment, but closer to Palmetto State University, making life much easier for both of them in terms of childcare, even if he took longer to get to work. He had been promoted to Criminal Investigator in the Columbia field office and luckily his boss only gave him tasks he could do from the office or from home. He was rarely out of town because of Rose. Sure, everyone had said they would want to watch Rose, but Andrew preferred to watch her himself.

“Daddy!” Rose squealed from her bedroom, before her tiny naked feet sounded against the polished hardwood floor. “Did you ‘ack my math?”

“Yes baby, I packed your math homework,” he said as he put her breakfast plate down on the table in front of her chair. It literally said ‘ _ Rose’s Chair’ _ in purple, pink and auburn colors.

“Good!” she said as she proceeded to climb onto her chair. Andrew pushed her chair in and grabbed her brush and a scrunchie and began to brush her blonde hair out of her face, putting it up in a bun. He had gotten quite good at doing her hair, but he had also spent countless hours with Abby, Bee and his co-worker Renee learning how to do it. Getting her dressed was not a problem because Andrew had always been stylish. Once her hair was done, he bent down and kissed her head before he put the brush away in the bathroom.

“DADDY!” Rose squealed from the kitchen and Andrew almost dropped the brush from surprise. He was amazed how he hadn’t died from a heart attack yet. When he came back Kevin was in his kitchen. Rose turned in her chair and beamed at her father.

“Kiwie is here!” she said, practically bouncing her seat.

“I can see that baby,” he said as he moved around the kitchen island and poured Kevin a cup of coffee. “You’re early Kiwie.”

“I know. I wanted to spend some time with my niece before I dropped her off at pre-school,” he said as he sat down in a chair next to Rose. She was blabbering about her new math and gym teacher, as usual.

“And… and… and he gives me gol’ star!”

“Did he now? That’s amazing baby.” He took his own cup and sat down, pushing Kevin’s cup to him.

“In math!”

Andrew took a sip and winced. He had never liked math; he only knew one person who liked math as much as his daughter seemed to do. He wondered what happened to Alex back in high school when he just disappeared one day. He reached up, feeling the ring dig into his palm. It calmed him some, the feeling of the ring, a promise ring, because they promised each other their futures without knowing what it might hold, when Alex was just gone the next day leaving him clinging to the shade of a promise.

“Daddy! You ‘ave to meet him,” Rose said, her mouth full of food. It spilled out all over the table and luckily, she missed her own clothes. It pulled Andrew from his thoughts immediately. “His name is Mr. Josten.”

“Mr. Josten seems like a really good teacher,” Kevin said, and Andrew glared at him. He didn’t want to think about Rose’s new teacher, because Rose had just spit her oatmeal all over the dining table. He finished his coffee and got up. He grabbed a cloth from the sink and cleaning up their morning mess. When the table was clean, he picked Rose up and carried her to the bathroom to brush her teeth, before he kissed her nose.

“Have a nice day at school Rosie, okay? I love you,” Andrew said, their foreheads pressed together. Rose leaned in and carefully nudged her nose against Andrew’s, a habit she always had had.

“I love you too daddy,” she said, and Andrew felt all tension leave his body. He put her down and watched as she got on her shoes and grabbed her backpack and went to Kevin, who was waiting by the front door.

“Drive safe,” Andrew told Kevin who nodded before he closed the door. He always felt sad watching her leave for preschool, but he knew she was safe with Kevin and he knew she was happy, and she was safe in preschool. He cleaned up the kitchen before he grabbed his bag and went to work.

Rose kept talking about how great Mr. Josten was, but whenever Andrew dropped her off or picked her up after a long day, he never saw him. It was almost a little disappointing because Mr. Josten seemed like someone who was capable of teaching his daughter one of the most boring subjects on earth and care for her wellbeing. He wondered what Mr. Josten looked like. He had been wondering since Rose started talking about her new favorite teacher.

“Daddy, you ‘ave to meet Mr. Josten,” Rose said one morning he was working from home. It was one of those rare mornings where Rose had crawled into his bed and whispered, ‘ _ I want to stay home today daddy’ _ and Andrew almost couldn’t help himself. It was rare for her to want to stay home from school and today he let her. He knew he was spoiling her, and he knew he shouldn’t. But he allowed her and took a day off from work. He had nothing important to do for the day, except translate a few documents from German into English. He could it in a couple of hours while Rose napped. They spent the day baking and watching barbie movies in bed and sometimes Rose would make a comment about how Mr. Josten was her favorite teacher in the  _ whole wide universe _ .

“What does Mr. Josten look like baby?” He asked his daughter when he was making lunch for them, Rose hell-bent on helping him. She looked up and put her children’s knife down.

“Mr. Josten has blue eyes. He has… fiery red hair!” It was almost like she was searching for words to describe him. “And… and a scar on his cheeks! He’s taller than you daddy,” she snickered. Andrew gave her a flat look because it didn’t exactly take a lot to be taller than him. “He has a kind smile. And… and he’s  _ really _ fasth! Like  _ whoosh _ !” she made some fast arm motions so she could get her point across easier. He could tell Rose really liked her teacher and from the little descriptive information he could get from his daughter, he was a pretty man as well.

“He seems like a good teacher Addie,” Andrew said as he assembled their lunch. He took their plates and put them on the dining table. He put the knives and cutting boards into the sink, before he picked Rose up and held her as she washed her hands.

“The besth daddy!” she splashed water all over the kitchen table.

Andrew didn’t doubt his daughter when she said that Mr. Josten was the best. He had taught her early on never to tell lies, because he would always know if she lied, even though it was a little hard with how serious she sounded, because even when she was doing things she hated or disliked she sounded serious. Sometimes they would be watching a new children’s movie and Andrew would ask her if she likes the movie and in all seriousness she would say ‘ _ Daddy… I dislike the movie, _ ’ and if it wasn’t for the fact she was stuffing her mouth with whatever snack he had provided, he would most likely have believed her.

Rose didn’t stop talking about Mr. Josten and to be honest, it was annoying Andrew after four months of Mr. Josten worship . Mr. Josten this and Mr. Josten that. He wanted meet this Mr. Josten and tell him that if he ever hurt his daughter, he would regret it. He didn’t know if Kevin or Aaron had met Mr. Josten yet but he supposed not, because they would have said something to him. He was standing in front of the FBI field office, smoking the single cigarette he allowed himself for the day-- he never smoked around Rose, but after a particularly hard interview of a suspect, he could easily smoke three or five without blinking. Today had been slow, until one of his coworkers had asked Andrew to act as a translator for her during a questioning of a foreign man they had caught in a raid, exposing a possible drug ring. The man had spoken Spanish and Andrew was somehow fluent in Spanish, thanks to Nicky. It turned out to be not just a drug ring, but also a human trafficking ring.

He tossed the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it with his polished shoe before he stepped inside and grabbed his things from his desk. He pulled on his jacket and slung his leather messenger bag over his shoulder and went to the Maserati parked in the far end of the parking lot. He tossed his bag into the passenger seat and then got in himself. He didn’t smoke in the car or at home because he didn’t want to put Rose’s health in danger. She wasn’t fragile, but he didn’t want to risk it. He pulled on his seatbelt and took off towards the private preschool he had Rose enrolled in. He parked the car in front of the school and allowed himself a few minutes of peace and quiet before he went inside. He got out and locked the car behind him, going in, braced for the madness of snotty kids everywhere.

There were kids running around everywhere and he could see the yard at the end of the hall. He was determined as he walked towards Rose’s classroom at the end of the hall. He looked in through the glass, not seeing Rose in the usual classroom. He looked around when he heard her voice come from one of the other classrooms. He walked over and realized they had changed classrooms, if the list on the door was any indication. He knocked on the door, then opened it, stepping inside. He leaned against the doorframe, before he walked over to the table she was sitting at. He squatted down and sat on one of the tiny chairs as he waited for her to notice him. When she turned her head, she gasped and threw herself on his lap.

“Daddy!”

Andrew smiled, wrapping his arms around her tiny body. He moved her easily fully into his lap before he kissed her head and buried his nose in her hair. He had missed her, but he always missed her when he dropped her off at school. She sat up suddenly and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Mr. Josten!!!” she yelled jumping out of her father’s lap and ran to one of the adjacent rooms. He got up and looked after his daughter and he only had to wait a few seconds before she came out with a teacher.

And not just any teacher.

He had fiery red hair. Ice blue eyes that were kind, but they still had an edge to them. He had a large burn on his left cheek underneath his eye and three lines down his right. The scars were faded, but they were still there. And they weren’t what caught Andrew’s attention: he had seen those blue eyes somewhere before, just couldn’t place where, but he knew he was fucked.

“Mr. Josten! My daddy, And’ew,” she said, smiling up at him.

Mr. Josten looked down at his daughter, his full lips widening as he smiled at his daughter. He looked up, ice blue eyes catching hazel ones. And then he held his hand out.

“Neil Josten. I’m Rose’s math and gym teacher.”

Andrew stared at his hand like it had offended him. It hadn’t and Andrew knew he was being childish, so stretched out his hand and took Neil’s hand in his. The weight of it was familiar and the ring on his index finger was one he had seen before. And he had a similar one hanging around his neck in a silver chain.

“Andrew Minyard,” he said and shook his hand.

Neil smiled wider, his eyes crinkling at the corners and Andrew knew where he had seen Neil before.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Minyard.”

_ Well fuck. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	3. The past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Neil used to date briefly in high school. But back then Neil wasn't Neil. And he disappeared one day without a word and without a trace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> This one is a bit emotional, because this one goes back to the past and explains why Andrew and Neil know each other, but back in high school Neil wasn't Neil, he was Alex and looked different than he does when Andrew meets him so many years later.
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!

Andrew stared at the curly brown haired boy sitting in front of him since they had been paired together for one of their science classes, for reasons unknown. Andrew had made it a habit not to participate in classes because they were boring and he didn’t think he would live to be twenty at this point, so he didn’t see the point in trying to store more unnecessary crap in his brain. But just as his indifference towards his own life and school almost drove him into not attending it at all, Alex was introduced.

The new kid in class.

Andrew tried not to care. The kid was fidgety and by the way he was looking around, categorizing all the exits around the room, Andrew supposed he was a flight risk. That had been three months ago, first day at school after summer break, and Andrew found himself more and more intrigued as weeks went by. Alex was indeed a flight risk, because whenever they had history or English Alex would be gone. Andrew wanted to find out why because curiosity always got the better of him. So when English rolled around after lunch, he found Alex on the Court. They were both on the team, Andrew as Goalie, Kevin as striker and Aaron as backliner. Alex was playing as both a striker and backliner, making him their most dangerous player on the field. He slowly approached, sitting down on the bench next to him.

“You skipped English,” Andrew stated, his voice raspy and low. Alex turned and looked at him.

“You skipped English too,” Alex retorted back at him.

“Only because you are so damn fidgety,” Andrew said as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He shook a cigarette out, put it in his mouth and lit it. He inhaled deep, before he exhaled. “What have English and History ever done to you?”

Alex shrugged, as if it was obvious as to why he wasn’t attending those two classes. Andrew stared at him, cigarette dangling from his mouth, smoke slowly escaping from between his lips. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking him to elaborate.

“I don’t… I don’t trust them. Mr. Humphrey and Mr. Walsh. They make me uncomfortable.”

“Do they touch you?”

“What? No. Why would they?”

“I’m serious Alex. If anyone is touching you without your permission, you come to me. I will beat them up.” It was said with such seriousness that Alex's eyes widened a fraction, before his brown eyes returned to normal. Alex reached out and plucked the cigarette from Andrew’s lips, putting the butt between his own lips, the corners pulling into a smirk before he inhaled.

_Shit._

“Okay,” he said, then exhaled around the cigarette.

“And drop the contacts Alex. They don’t suit you.” He reached out and plucked the cigarette back from Alex’s lips. His fingertips brushed briefly against Alex’s lips as Andrew pulled his hand back before he got up from the bench.

Alex showed up the next day, thankfully not wearing contacts. Alex had the prettiest blue eyes Andrew had ever seen, and they suited him more than the pair of cheap contacts he was wearing before.

And now here he was, two months later and in crap load of trouble because he was catching feelings for someone who was oblivious towards anyone making any advances, Andrew included, even if they were just working on _fucking_ science homework. Alex was clearly interested in the math part of science and he was currently talking about how the math worked when it came to science.

_Fucking nerd._

“Andrew? Are you listening?”

Andrew wasn’t because math bore him to no end. More than anything, he thought about the way Alex’s pretty lips moved as he spoke. He thought about how soft they felt against his fingertips. About how he wanted to press his own chapped lips against Alex’s soft ones. He wondered if Alex had kissed anyone before or if he would be his first. It sent a thrill down his spine, but it also made his stomach turn at the thought of being Alex’s first kiss.

“Earth to Andrew,” Alex said, waving his hand in front of his face.

Andrew pushed his hand out of his face, sneering at the brunette.

“Fuck you. You know I hate science.”

“I do. Which is why I’m doing your homework,” he said with a snicker. “And which is why you are doing my English homework.”

“Shut up or you can do them yourself.”

Alex laughed, the corners around his eyes crinkling as his lips broke into a wide smile. He seemed to smile a lot more around Andrew lately and it was making Andrew’s stomach do funny things and his heart skip beats. He was sure this was only a fling and that it would go away soon, but that didn’t happen, not even over Christmas when he didn’t see Alex. He couldn’t even get in contact with Alex because he didn’t have a phone. Apparently, his mother didn’t allow him to have one, which Andrew thought was bullshit, but he couldn’t force Alex into buying a cell phone for himself. Or borrow one of Andrew’s old.

It was New Year’s Eve; he had just had dinner with Nicky and Aaron before his twin headed out to spend time with Kevin. Nicky was still home, but he was talking to Erik over a shitty phone connection. There was a knock on the door and Andrew frowned. He wasn’t willing to move from the couch to see who it was, but he supposed if it was important, they would keep knocking. And they did. He sighed as he got up, slipping on his wolf-shaped slippers Aaron had gotten him for Christmas. He unlocked the door and opened it, almost slamming it shut again when he saw Alex.

The brunette smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. His nose and cheeks were red from the freezing cold and he was only wearing ratty clothes as always, his old converse filled with holes – he could see Alex’s blue socks beneath the red fabric of his shoes.

“Can I come in?” he asked quietly, his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Andrew nodded and stepped aside, allowing Alex inside the house. He locked the door behind them and took a good look at him.

“How did you get our address?” Andrew asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I broke into the school’s office a few hours ago. I looked up your file,” Alex said, sounding unapologetic for taking Andrew’s personal information without him knowing. Andrew supposed that was the general idea of stealing, but it didn’t sit well with him. He let Alex get undressed, hanging his wet jacket on a hanger in the bathroom together with his drenched shoes and bags. As Alex dried off and as the redness in his cheeks disappeared, a hand print appeared on his left cheek instead.

“Someone hit you.”

“My mom.”

“Why.” It wasn’t a question, because he had promised Alex, he would protect him if anyone tried to lay their hands on him. Alex began to tug at the end of his sleeves, a nervous habit of his.

“Because…” Alex started, but closed his mouth again. He didn’t look up at Andrew when he began to speak again. “I can’t tell you. You will start to hate me and then you’ll leave me and you are my only friend Andrew. My best friend and I’ve never had a lot of friends in my life to begin with.” Alex was rambling, another nervous habit he had.

“Hey,” Andrew said, stepping closer to him without being too close, allowing Alex his personal space, even though Andrew wanted nothing more than to be in Alex’s personal space, their lips pressed in a soft kiss. But he wouldn’t do that because he didn’t know if Alex wanted him to kiss or if he was into guys at all. “I won’t leave. Remember that I don’t exactly have a lot of friends of my own Alex,” Andrew said, his arms still crossed over his chest, though not as tightly as when Alex arrived.

Alex looked up at Andrew, his blue eyes clear as ice. His brows were furrowed, and Andrew wanted to press a thumb into the space between his brows to unfurrow them. Alex swallowed and it was easy to see that he was nervous about whatever he was about to say, and it made Andrew nervous as well, because he didn’t know if Alex was about to tell him he was leaving or if he was dying from some undiagnosed thing.

“I told my mom I was… having feelings for someone from school. She said that feelings wouldn’t do me any good and when I said it was on one of the boys from my class, she hit me,” he said, looking anywhere but at Andrew.

Andrew's stomach twisted and turned uncomfortably at the implications that Alex could like someone who wasn’t Andrew. That was always a possibility, and Andrew knew he would end up with a broken heart sooner or later, but he never thought it would be Alex who would do it. He uncrossed his arms and went to the kitchen to make them something to drink. He knew Alex would follow unless he was told otherwise.

“Your mother’s wrong for hitting you Alex. Love is…,” Andrew said, trailing off as he searched for words to explain that love was indeed love. “Love is love, no matter the gender. My cousin Nicky is gay. I’m gay. You are safe here,” Andrew said as he began to pour whiskey into two mugs, more into his own than Alex’s because he didn’t drink.

Alex slid into a barstool by the island. He watched Andrew as he poured water and some mint green tea into one of the cups and cocoa into the other. He slid into a chair next to Alex and pushed the tea towards him. “Drink that. It will help you get warm faster,” he said as he took a sip from his own cup. Alex’ stomach rumbled loudly.

“Sorry,” he mumbled sheepishly. Andrew rolled his eyes and got up again. He pulled the pots and pans from when they had dinner and made Alex a plate of food, heating it in the microwave. “Thank you Drew,” he said, smiling a little. “For the food and for letting me crash in on your New Year’s Eve one-man party.”

“Don’t mention it Lex,” Andrew mumbled around the rim of his cup, rolling his eyes at the brunette. Alex smiled widely, his eyes crinkling at the edges and began to eat. When the brunette had eaten, Andrew did the dishes and made them another drink before they went to the front porch to get a smoke and enjoy the fireworks before the new year began. Alex hadn’t said anything about the boy he liked, and Andrew wasn’t going to push Alex to tell him.

“Can I tell you something?” Alex asked from where he was sitting next to him, only the light from the cherry of the cigarette illuminating his features.

“Always.” He turned his head and looked at Alex. People were beginning to send up fireworks and the lights from the colorful bombs showered them in a mix of blues, purples, reds and green hues.

Alex didn’t say anything after that. He was watching Alex and Alex was watching the fireworks.

“I like you,” Alex said as the fireworks were going crazy and Andrew almost missed it because it was spoken in such a low voice Andrew thought it was intentional, so he wouldn’t hear it, but he did. And Andrew’s mind was going a hundred and twenty miles per hour, thinking about all the implications of Alex’s confession. He crushed his cigarette against the ceramic ashtray that sat between them. He moved it out of reach, then pressed his knee carefully against Alex’s.

“Can I kiss you?”

Alex’s head snapped around so fast Andrew almost worried about Alex pulling a muscle.

“What?”

“I want to kiss you. Can I?”

Alex stared, his mouth hanging open as he took in the words Andrew had said. Andrew couldn’t tell what was going through Alex’s head, and it was probably for the best as Andrew prepared himself for rejection.

“Yes,” Alex said, his voice suddenly fragile and confident all at once. He scooted closer and Andrew let him. Had Alex been anyone else, Andrew would have pressed a knife to their jugular and tell them to fuck off, but he had asked to kiss Alex, and Alex said yes and that was all Andrew could think about. He turned his body towards Alex, his hand reaching out to touch the brunette's cheek, his thumb caressing his cheekbone. Alex kept one hand in his lap, the other pressed against the deck as they leaned in at the same time, Andrew’s chapped lips pressing against Alex’s soft ones. It was everything Andrew had thought it would be and it was ten times better than his imagination. Alex kissed back with gasp, allowing Andrew to deepen the kiss once before he pulled back to look at Alex.

Alex was blushing, he could tell even over the redness of his mother’s handprint on his cheek.

“How was that?”

“Good. Really good Drew,” Alex said, his voice airy and soft – softer than Andrew had ever heard it before, the look in his eyes equally soft. “Happy New Year Drew.”

A shiver went down Andrew’s spine from the sound of Alex’s voice and from the look in his eyes.

“Happy New Year junkie.”

After New Year’s Eve, everything returned to normal, except he and Alex snuck out of class to make out in the empty hallways and on the roof between shared cigarettes. Alex never stayed over at his house, even when Andrew asked him to. Andrew had also never been to Alex’s house and Alex never talked about his home, other than when he talked about his mother and yet another round of abuse from her hand. Alex began to skip school more and more and it worried Andrew more than he would have liked to admit. Alex still showed up for Exy practice and while he wanted to ask Alex what was going on, he didn’t want to seem nosy. Around March, Alex started attending classes like normal again

“I’m sorry,” Alex told Andrew one day after school. They were at their usual bench by the court where Kevin practiced with Aaron and a few others. “A lot of stuff is going on at home. My mom is crazy, saying that she wants to move to the UK to her brother and I think she’s gone a bit mental to be honest.”

Andrew raised an eyebrow. So much for being nosy.

“It’s fine,” Andrew said even though he thought that Alex was lying to him.

“No. It’s not Andrew. You’ve always been there for me and I want you to know that I’m sorry about it,” he said, looking up from the bench here he sat to where Andrew stood. He reached out and took Andrew’s free hand, pulling him closer. Andrew let him and he went until he was standing in front of Alex. He bent down and pressed his lips against Alex’s. Andrew’s kiss was never soft and if Alex preferred them otherwise, he never said anything.

“What are you doing later?” Andrew asked, his words almost lost in the press of their lips.

“Nothing, but my mom wants me home by eight.”

“I’ll have you home by eight.”

Alex smiled and nodded before he pressed their lips together once more. Andrew finished his cigarette as Alex finished his math homework. Andrew stuffed his pack of cigarettes into his backpack, then slung it over his shoulder as Alex stuffed his homework into his duffel bag. He had carried that ragged thing around since September and he never let it out of his sight, unless they were playing exy. Andrew didn’t tell his twin or Kevin that they were leaving before he went to his car. Alex followed Andrew out to his car, throwing his duffel bag into the backseat before he got into the passenger seat next to Andrew.

“Where are we going?” he asked, clicking on his seatbelt.

“You’ll see Lex,” Andrew said as he took off.

Andrew parked the car an hour later at an empty overlook. He clicked his seatbelt off and got out. He walked around the car and sat on top of the table of the bench set he had parked in front of. Alex clicked his seatbelt off as well, then walked around the car to Andrew where he sat down on the bench in front of him. Neither one of them said anything, just enjoying the peace and quiet.

“I have something for you,” Andrew said suddenly, almost startling Alex as he dug through his pocket.

“For me?” he asked.

Andrew gave Alex a flat look as he held the jewelry box between his hands. “Yes, Alex, I have something for you. It’s a promise. A promise because… I want to…” he bit his lower lip. He searched for words. He looked down at the box. He wasn’t good with words. He wasn’t used to having feelings, this was all new to him. “I want us to be together. And this is a promise that we’ll be together. That I will protect you from your mother and any one else.”

“Does this make us boyfriends?” Alex asked with a smug smile.

Andrew let out an exasperated sigh. He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked up. “I suppose it does,” he said and then Alex’s lips were pressed against his in a heated kiss.

“Yes. _Yes_ Drew,” he whispered against Andrew’s chapped lips. He pulled back when he remembered that Andrew didn’t like to be touched without permission. But Andrew pulled him back by the back of his neck. Their lips connected in a deep kiss, a kiss filled with promise and reciprocated feelings. Andrew pulled back this time, but Alex stayed close. He sat between Andrew’s legs as he opened the plastic box in his hands. He pulled out one of the titanium bands and put it on Alex’s index finger and Alex put the other on Andrew’s.

“I want to stay the night. Can I?” Alex asked and Andrew didn’t refuse him or question his decision to ignore his mother's wish to have him home by eight. They stayed at the overlook, exchanging glances and kisses until it was late. They stopped at Mcdonalds and bought food they ate in the car in the parking lot. They went home to Andrew’s house afterwards. It wasn’t late, only 10PM, but the house was dark. Andrew knew Nicky was at work at Eden’s, but he checked his phone for a message from Aaron. He was staying at Kevin’s house for the night, which meant he and Alex had the house to themselves. They didn’t rush, because there was no reason to. Andrew used the bathroom first, then Alex. They both crawled into bed, Andrew’s back pressed into wall and Alex’s back facing the room, so they were facing each other. Alex leaned in first, then Andrew moved his head until their noses pressed together. Andrew held his hand out in silent offering and Alex took it.

“Sleep well Lex,” Andrew mumbled.

“Sleep well Drew,” Alex whispered.

Andrew fell asleep to the sound of Alex’s quiet breathing and when he woke up, he was gone. A feeling dread filled him. He jumped out of bed and noticed how Alex’s duffel bag was gone. His clothes too. He ran a hand through his sleep mussed hair as he looked around his bedroom. He didn’t see the ring anywhere, but on top of his dresser he found a letter scrawled in Alex’s messy handwriting.

_Dear Andrew._

_When you find this I’m already long gone. I had to leave, or else something bad would have happened to you and I couldn’t let that happen. You promised to protect me. Now it’s my turn to protect you._

_I’ll be okay, don’t worry._

_I’ll see you soon._

_Yours forever,_

_Alex._

Alex was gone and Andrew felt like his heart was being ripped into pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	4. Blue eyes and red hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew’s work is demanding longer work hours for a while to finish the amount of cases that’s landing on their table.  
> Rose draws a picture of three people n pre-school - one small, one tiny and tall. Two of them are blond, but the third is not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> This chapter is also a bit emotional, because Neil meet's Kevin and he think he and Andrew are in a relationship
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

Andrew stared at the redhead in front of him, remembering exactly where he had seen that smile and those eyes. 

He remembered them from when he was a teenager, he remembered the first he saw him standing in front of the class, hands clasped in front of himself and ready to disappear. He remembered the first time he felt something for Neil, he remembered the first time their lips met and he remembered every kiss that came after. He remembered every shared cigarette and he remembered the first time they shared a bed. 

A first time that would also be the last. He was a stupid teenager who clung to the promise of a future, just to have it ripped away. 

“Alex,” he said softly, the name leaving him before he had a chance to stop.

Neil’s eyes widened as he heard the name he hasn't used since high school. 

“It’s Neil, Mr. Minyard. Not Alex.”

Andrew knew, but seeing Alex—No, seeing Neil here, fourteen years later, in South Carolina where Neil had left him so abruptly shook him to the core. He didn’t think he would ever see him again and yet here he was, alive and seemingly well. He was still trying to comprehend that Alex was standing in front of him and Alex was Neil and Neil was his daughter’s teacher and Andrew was still feeling things for present Alex – Neil. Things he felt when he was sixteen years old and very confused when it came to who he was and where he was headed. 

Neil still had the ring Andrew had given him so many years ago and Andrew couldn’t stop thinking about what it could possibly mean. It could mean a number of things and Andrew didn’t know what to think about it. Andrew still had his ring because he couldn’t just throw it away, he couldn’t move on from Alex. Neil had been the first person who he had realized he had feelings for and the first person who he wanted to be and to grow old with, only to have it ripped away from him. 

“We need to talk Andrew,” Neil said quietly in German. Andrew didn’t know where Neil had learned German from, but he knew it wasn’t from high school.

“Daddy?” Rose asked from where she was standing next to Neil. She looked perfect next to him. He looked down at her when she spoke up and met a distressed expression twisting her features, she was a little worried at least, but Andrew didn’t want her to think he disliked her favorite teacher. He kneeled down in front of her and held his hand out for her. She took his hand and stepped into his arms. 

“Go and get ready. I need to talk to Mr. Josten,” he said, and Rose nodded. She kissed his cheek before she went to the open cupboard where her jacket and bag were stored. Andrew stood back up and squared himself for whatever Neil was going to say.

“What?” Andrew said, trying to sound bitter as he spoke. 

“We need to talk. I need to… explain what happened. You deserve to know,” Neil said. He sounded so sincere and apologetic and Andrew wanted to hear him out to finally get a proper closure on their not-relationship. 

“Thursday night. Two days from now. There’s a dinner. Be there at 7PM sharp,” Andrew replied as he picked up a piece of paper and a pen from the table they were standing at. He wrote the address down for the dinner, then pressed the pen and paper into Neil’s chest. Neil’s fingers brushed against his hand and Andrew felt the sparks of old feelings bubbling to the surface again.

“Okay. I’ll be there,” Neil said and Andrew turned and walked to the door. “Andrew?” he called after him and Andrew turned around and stared into the blue eyes he had dreamt about so many times he had lost count. 

“What?” 

“It is nice to see you again,” Neil said with a half-smile he reserved only for Andrew. Andrew did his best to school his expression, but it was hard when Neil was looking all soft and pretty and happy and beautiful, just the way he was years ago before his heavy handed mother interfered. 

“You too Neil,” he said, a half-smile of his own playing at the corner of his lips, and walked out into the hall with Rose. 

Andrew didn’t remember the drive to Betsy's House. It was a drive he and Rose knew by heart, but that didn’t excuse the way Andrew drove without paying attention to where he was going. He knew Aaron and Kevin usually visited Betsy on Tuesdays and he was thankful when he saw Kevin’s Range Rover in the driveway. He parked the car on the street and clicked his seatbelt off. 

“Daddy, why are we at nana’s hous’?” Rose asked when she noticed where they were, but it was probably mostly because she could see Kevin’s car in the driveway. 

“Because I need to talk to nana baby,” Andrew said as he got out and helped Rose out. “And Kiwie and Aari are here, you can go and play with them.” He said, and her eyes widened at the mention of her uncles. She bounced in his arms as he carried her and their bags to the door, knocking before he fished out his keys. The door opened and Rose squealed at the sight of Aaron. 

“Hey Rosie,” Aaron said as he caught her when she leaned towards him, almost falling out of Andrew’s arms. He looked at Andrew with a frown, but he knew better than to question his brother suddenly turning up at their mother’s door. Rose was already talking Aaron’s ear off, so Andrew snuck inside without closing the door behind him. He found Betsy in the living room reading one of her crime books as she knitted. He stood in front of her. 

“You forgot to take your shoes off Andrew,” Betsy said without looking up from her book. Andrew rolled his eyes and went to take his shoes off before he went to the kitchen to make himself, Bee and Rose a cup of cocoa like Bee used to make whenever he had a session with her. 

“NANA!” Rose squealed, making every adult in the house cover their ears because of the shriek-like sound only a child could make. The sound of Bee’s metal knitting pins hitting the hardwood floor echoed throughout the ground floor of the house. 

“Rosie baby!” Bee said excitedly from the living room and Andrew could only imagine Rose jumping into her nana’s lap and cuddle her favorite grandparent. Wymack and Abby were also some kind of grandparents to Rose, but Bee was her favorite. Even though Wymack came in on a close second. Andrew grabbed all of the cups and he didn’t care that they were hot, he put them down on the coffee table and kneeled down in front of his mother and his daughter. 

“Baby, daddy needs to talk to nana, is that okay?” He could tell Rose wasn’t happy about that idea, but when Kevin stepped into the living room Rose lit up like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. 

“Kiwie!” She squealed once again and jumped out of Bee’s lap to greet Kevin. He easily scooped her up, hugged her and showered her with kisses, her happy laughs echoing through Bee’s house. He took her and her cup of cocoa to the kitchen where Aaron was making dinner in order to give Andrew and Bee some privacy. 

Andrew began to pace the room in front of Bee. He had one arm wrapped around his midsection, his other hand clasped over his mouth as he thought about how to word this. He had told Bee about Neil, or Alex since that was his name back then. He had met Bee around the same time Neil had left, because he was in such bad shape, Nicky had sent Andrew to see his psychiatrist, afraid that whatever happened to Andrew was the last straw to his sanity. Betsy Dobson was affordable and she was great at her job, she had helped Nicky through a lot of things when he first got custody of the twins. She helped Andrew put words onto how he was feeling and how to speak out instead of bottling them up. She had met with Aaron and she had met with them all together before she asked the twins what they thought about her adopting them. She had, of course, talked this over with Nicky beforehand because she wasn’t tearing his family apart: she was preventing Nicky from drowning in responsibility and holding them all back from tearing their small family apart. 

Nicky had followed the twins through college, then moved back to Germany to be with Erik, and the twins had stayed together in South Carolina, where they learned to be a family with Addison. 

“Neil’s back,” Andrew said, but he didn’t stop pacing. “Or Alex I suppose his name was fourteen years ago.” Bee had the courtesy to look surprised. He hated it when she looked surprised. 

“He’s Rose’s teacher in the pre-school. She’s been talking about him for months Bee. For months has she been saying he’s her favorite teacher. And I don’t… I’m feeling too much, just from seeing him once today. I want to stop feeling like a fucking teenager mom. I’m still… I still feel things for him.”

Betsy stood up in front of Andrew to stop him from pacing. He stopped in front of her and looked up at her. He looked miserable and she wrapped her arms around her son. Andrew wrapped his arms around Bee, despite not liking physical contact, but this was the woman that helped him standing back on his feet when Neil left him. “I need to stop feeling mom.” It was a whisper, but Bee heard it, and she felt how sad Andrew was.

“I can’t help you stop feeling Andrew and you know that,” she said, her nose buried in his blonde hair.

Andrew hadn’t been in a serious relationship since Neil left South Carolina fourteen years earlier. He hadn’t strayed away from South Carolina because this was where his family was. This was where he met Alex and he didn’t want to leave in case he came back looking for him. Alex hadn’t, not as far as Andrew knew and could remember. 

“It’s okay Andrew,” she said and Andrew knew she was right. It was okay to be insecure and in doubt and it was okay to want to throttle your fourteen-year-old love. Bee slowly let go of Andrew and got him to sit down on the couch with his cup of lukewarm cocoa. She could tell Andrew’s mind was going a hundred-twenty miles per hour just by how his eyes flickered, sorting through every word and every memory for something and while Bee wasn’t sure what it was, she let him do it in peace. She sat down in her chair with her own cup.

“Fuck.. Fuck!” Andrew hissed as he almost flung his cup a across the living room. His sudden outburst almost made Bee spill her cocoa.

“What’s wrong Andrew?” 

“I had sex with Neil. The night Rose was born. I was out clubbing because I needed to do something besides sitting around. I was going crazy. I was drunk when this blue eyed stranger came up to me and bought me a drink. He sucked my cock in the bathroom.” 

“Andrew,” Bee said, coughing into her hand to get his attention without much luck.

“He didn’t have those scars four, almost five years ago when Rose was born. How did I not notice? He was right there and I let him slip away again.”

“Andrew,” Bee tried again and succeeded when Andrew looked at her. “Somethings are not meant for sharing. I’m glad you have a healthy sex life but you aren’t supposed to tell your mother whenever you receive a blow job or any other sexual favor. I know you did it out of spite when you were younger, but you are thirty years old Andrew. You’re a dad. Rose should be your main focus. Not your ex from fourteen years ago.”

Leave it to Bee to tell him what his priorities were supposed to be.

Andrew sank further into the couch with his cocoa when his phone went off. He fished it out of his pocket and checked his email. He sighed, putting his phone down briefly before he replied. “Kevin!” he yelled.

Bee rolled her eyes at Andrew just as Kevin and Rose came into the living room. Andrew put his phone and cup down before he outstretched his arms for his daughter. Kevin switched Rose from one hip to the other before he passed her over to Andrew. 

“Kevin’s going to pick you tomorrow after school. Daddy has to work,” he said, and Rose frowned a little. She hated it when Andrew had to work overtime, but at least her favorite uncle would pick her up from school then. Well, they all knew Aaron was her favorite uncle, but Kevin came in a close second – since he was her only other uncle. “But I’ll be home before you have to go to bed. And on Thursday daddy has a meeting with Mr. Josten, so you’ll have a sleepover at Kiwie’s and Aari’s house and they’ll take you to school, but I’ll pick you up on Friday. Early. So we’ll have an entire day together, yeah?”

Rose nodded and put her head on his shoulder, enjoying the closeness. Having a child had helped Andrew with the casual touches, but only when it came to children. He was still, sometimes, distrustful of adults because of his time in various foster homes. He could feel Kevin looking at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“And you are just now mentioning this?” Kevin said. 

“The meeting was only just put in place and the SAC just emailed me and told me we have a few questionings tomorrow we need in order to close a few cases.”

“Lucky for you Aaron and I have the day off from work.”

“Kevin. You’re benched since you busted your knee a couple of months ago. You are out for the season, why do you think you come by to help me with Rose?” Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Well, she’s my only niece and I want to spend time with her,” he said with a shrug. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Alright,” Andrew said and sunk into the couch cushion with Rose, enjoying her weight against him. 

* * *

Neil watched as Andrew kissed Rose goodbye in the hallway. Andrew was good with Rose and Neil admired that about him. He had never thought Andrew would end up with a kid and he honestly wondered how Andrew did end up with a kid. But Neil also only knew Andrew back in high school and that one time at Eden’s Twilight where Andrew didn’t recognize him. He did go down on Andrew in his drunken state even if Neil knew it was a bad idea. And he was right, because Andrew pulled out his phone in the middle of it, he even accepted the call before he pulled Neil off him and left without a second glance. He huffed as he remembered. 

“Mr. Josten!” Rose called as she came running into the classroom, crashing into his legs at full speed.

“Hey Rosie,” he said as he patted her head, careful not to mess up her hair. He looked up and found Andrew watching them from the hall. Neil lifted his hand in a small gentle wave and Andrew mirrored the gesture before he left.

It began to rain during the morning, which put a halt to all outdoor activities. Neil jumped between classes, filling in where he was needed until he had his last class with Rose’s class. He counted the students and when all were accounted for, he let them play for the remainder of the day. He played a few games, built a few Lego ships, made some plastic pearl necklaces and bracelets with some of the older children. He looked over to Rose who was drawing at another table. He got up and went to sit next to her in one of the tiny chairs. Rose looked up when she heard the chair being pulled out next to her and she beamed at him like she always did.

“Mr. Josten!”

“What’re you drawing sweetie?” he asked as he moved a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Drawing,” she replied shortly as she began to color one of the persons on the paper. The person was tall, taller than the two other people on the drawing. Neil could vaguely tell that the small person with long blonde hair was Rose and the other would be Andrew, seen how she had drawn him with blonde hair. He Andrew had an identical twin named Aaron, but Aaron wasn’t gay. It was hard to tell with the taller person. “Who are you drawing Rose?” 

“Kiwie.”

Who was  _ ‘Kiwie’ _ ?

“Daddy says I have to be nice to him. Or he’ll leave us all behind. Daddy has known him for years. And… And even though daddy says he hates him… I know he loves him,” she said and Neil felt like his heart broke into a thousand pieces. He knew Rose could easily confuse Kiwie and Andrew’s friendship for a relationship, but he doubted it. He had pushed Andrew into the arms of another man and he only had himself to thank. He had been about to ask what Kiwie’s real name was, when Kevin Day stepped into the room.

“Hey baby girl,” Kevin said and Rose sprung up from the table, her drawing completely forgotten in her haste to get in Kevn’s arms. Kevin kissed her cheek and Neil felt a shot of jealousy curse through him. He got up from the desk and dusted off his jeans. He was a professional and he had no business deciding how Andrew chose to repair what Neil had broken. He walked up to them and smiled a little. “You’ve raised her well,” he told Kevin once he was within earshot. Kevin looked down at Neil and smiled. 

“Yeah, I guess we have,” Kevin said and Neil’s already broken heart broke again. “Let’s go home and wait for daddy with uncle Aaron.” Rose put her hand above her head and said ‘Yes!’ in an enthusiastic way. 

Neil smiled, because it was clear how much they both loved him. “Say hello to Mr. Minyard for me.” Rose nodded and Kevin did the same. He grabbed Rose’s bag and coat, then walked out of the classroom and Neil watched as they left. A feeling of dread and emptiness spread out through his body as he thought about Andrew kissing Kevin good morning and goodbye and goodnight. Kevin had replaced Neil, because Andrew had repaired what Neil had so obviously broken. 

He only had himself to blame. He never should have left. He should have told Andrew the truth and he should have stayed.

_ I’m an idiot.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	5. Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and Andrew finally have time to sit down and talk about what happened fourteen years ago when Neil left Andrew and his Alex persona behind in South Carolina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> This chapter is also a bit angsty, because Neil still believes that Andrew and Kevin are in a relationship. There's also mentions of child abuse and mentions of Baltimore. 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

Neil was ready to bang his head against the desk. He had gotten no sleep because he couldn’t stop thinking about the drawing Rose had made during class. It hurt to think that Andrew had moved on. He had expected it of course, since he had left quite suddenly, he told him not to worry and that he would be fine, even if it wasn’t exactly true. 

He hadn’t been fine after he left. His mother had beat him up more than usual. She had been ruthless and scared and Neil could only blame himself for falling in love. He was sitting behind his desk, not even looking up whenever a child was practically screaming his name, because he had spent the entire night thinking about the future he could have had, and the future he had got. He was lucky that it was still raining and that he didn’t have to teach math today. He looked up when he heard Kevin’s booming voice as he said his goodbye to Rose out in the hall before he left. He watched as Rose came in and put her bag in her space. She picked up her drawing from yesterday, grabbed a bucket full of crayons and sat down by her usual table. 

Neil stood up and walked over to the table where Rose and a few other kids sat at drawing. He sat down next to her, grabbed a piece of paper and a crayon, and began to draw himself. 

“Daddy says they are boyfr… boyfriendths,” she said, and Neil wanted to run. He didn’t want to hear about Andrew’s stupidly handsome and successful boyfriend. 

“Are they?” Neil asked despite his better judgement. 

“Yeah! They share a bed and sometimes let me sleep between them!” she said, almost dropping the crayon she was using. “Kiwie ‘ill pick me up today! We are having a sleepover!” that sounded like they weren’t living together, which meant Neil might still have a chance. It probably wasn’t the biggest chance, but it was there nonetheless. 

And he was meeting Andrew later at a dinner that seemed not too far away from the school. 

“Kevin seemed like a great guy,” Neil said and when Rose looked at him with wide, expecting eyes, he cursed himself for speaking up. 

Rose talked a lot about how great her _Kiwie_ was and honestly, Neil was already sick of hearing about him. He would much rather get an earful from his mother than hearing about how _great_ Kiwie was, and how _good_ at Exy he was and how _beautiful_ Kiwie was. That continued all morning until lunch and Rose would continue to talk, even when Neil had to do other things. She would talk to anyone ready to listen about Kevin. 

After lunch they made pearl bracelets and Rose was making three bracelets: one in red and gold, because he was still a Trojans fan obviously, one black and purple because those were her father’s favorite colors and a purple and pink for herself. He assumed the small one was for her and the other two were for Andrew and Kevin. And he was right, because as Rose so clearly stated: _‘Doctors can’t wear bracelets. So no bracelet for Aari._ ’ She had told Neil on several occasions how her uncle was a brain doctor and how her other uncle was an exy star. _‘A big star, Mr. Josten! Big star! Aari is very proud of him!’_

“I’m making a brac’let for daddy and Kiwie,” she said as she handed the bracelet off to Neil so he could secure the knot and put on a lock. “Kiwie really likes the Trojans. So red and gol’. And… And daddy likes purple and black!” 

Neil remembered that Andrew liked those colors in high school as well and the thought made him smile a little at least. He remembered he had gotten Andrew a braided bracelet for his 16th birthday back in high school. Andrew hadn’t been impressed with him, but he had still worn the bracelet to school the next day. He smiled at Rose, because she wanted to make Andrew something that showed how well she knew his favorite colors. She rambled about the colors on the bracelets. It was easy to tell how much she loved her family and how well behaved she was, even with Andrew being a single father. He had probably raised her alone until Kevin came along. 

He sighed softly when he thought about Andrew, then he sighed sadly when he thought about Andrew kissing Kevin. He looked down at the bracelet he had made himself – purple and grey. His and Andrew’s favorite colors. 

“Mr. Josten?” Rose chirped next to him. Her hazel eyes laced with worry. She looked incredibly much like Andrew, the same hair and eyes and small nose. “You okay?”

He smiled again and nodded. “I’m fine don’t worry about it too much sweetie,” he said and pushed her hair out of her face before he finished his bracelet. Rose stayed close to him until Kevin arrived to pick her up again that afternoon. Rose gave Neil a quick hug before she left with Kevin. 

“Bye Ne’l! I’ll come back tomorrow!” Rose yelled, one hand in Kevin’s while she waved with the other. 

Neil chuckled as he waved back at her. “Bye Rose. I’ll see you tomorrow. Be good to Kevin,” he said, and she nodded. She looked up at Kevin and began to talk animatedly about her day in pre-school. 

Neil was the last one to leave for the day. The last kid was picked up and that gave Neil a few hours to himself, before he had to meet Andrew. He didn’t know what to expect from the meeting, all he knew was that he didn’t want Andrew to leave before he had told his story start to finish. He ran home, trying to get rid of some of the nervous energy that was piling up inside of him. He took the long way home, so he didn’t have to sit around for too long before meeting Andrew and, by the time he got home, he barely had time to shower and get dressed before he had to leave again. He took his bike to the dinner, but still ended up a little sweaty during the ride down. He was still early, so he sat down outside to let himself cool down before he went in and found a corner booth. 

He looked up when Andrew knocked on the table and slid into the booth across from him. He smiled a little, but Andrew’s face was set. Cold. Neil didn’t like it. 

“You wanted to talk?” Andrew said as he picked up the menu. Neil’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the indifference in Andrew’s voice. He sounded like he would rather be anywhere else, and Neil didn’t blame him. He picked up the menu as well and hid himself behind it as he thought about how to tell Andrew about his past. A waiter came up to them – a young man, whose attention was only on Andrew. 

“What can I help you with today?” he asked, not even sparing Neil a glance. 

“Pancakes, eggs and bacon with a few slices of buttered toast, thanks. And hot chocolate. Lot’s of it.” The waiter wrote it all down, then turned to look at Neil. “And you sir?”

“Egg white omelet, waffles and bacon. And a cup of Earl Grey tea thanks,” Neil said, and the waiter wrote it down on his notepad. “Coming right up,” he said, taking their menus with him and went to place their orders. Neil looked over at Andrew and bit his lower lip a little. 

“Yes. I owe you some sort of… explanation. For why I left. And I don’t want you to leave before you’ve heard me out, okay?” 

Andrew stared at Neil like he had grown a second head. “Fine. I won’t leave,” he said, and Neil was thankful that Andrew had at least semi-promised not to leave before he was done explaining. He waited until their food had arrived. He was quite hungry, and it was hard to have a coherent thought when his stomach was rumbling so loudly, but he couldn’t find it in him to take the first bite. Andrew, however, was already halfway through his first pancake when Neil decided it was time to speak up.

“I didn’t want to leave,” he said, and Andrew stopped moving the fork to his mouth halfway there. “I didn’t want to leave, but I had to. I was putting you all in danger just by staying and I stayed for too long. You were in danger. Aaron and Kevin were in danger and I couldn’t do it anymore. Even if I didn’t like Aaron or Kevin all that much.” Andrew stared at him with disbelieving eyes, but Neil kept going. 

“My dad… He found out where we were staying, he was coming for us and he wasn’t going to stop until both of us were dead, I think it’s fair to say that my dad wasn’t a nice person, he was the opposite of nice actually. He was a murderer and a cruel man and he was so close to not only hurting me, but also you, Aaron and Kevin. He would have killed you if I hadn’t left that night Andrew. And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but you couldn’t have protected me from his wrath.” 

“Your father was a murderer?”

Neil stared at him, his blue eyes wide and clear. “Yeah… He was. He was a serial killer, working mainly on the east coast and from my childhood home in Baltimore.”

“What was his name?”

Neil bit down on his lower lip. He didn’t want to tell and it made his stomach turn just to think about saying his father’s name out loud, partially due his own fear, but also because it would be easy to connect them together and that was the last thing Neil wanted. “Nathan Wesninski.”

“You’re Nathaniel Wesninski.”

“No. I’m Neil Abram Josten. Nathaniel died the night Nathan did.” That was the truth because Neil had stopped being Nathaniel the day his father died. He had nothing left to fear besides Andrew walking away from him after hearing all of this. “My name is Neil Josten, I’m twenty-nine years old and I’m a preschool teacher. My favorite subject is math and gym and I have a bachelor’s degree in applied math. I never played Exy after I left high school...” Neil looked down at his hands in his lap. He had yet to touch his food but talking about his dead father and past life made him nauseous. “You deserve to know why I left you so suddenly.”

Neil didn’t know what was going through Andrew’s head as he continued to wolf down his pancakes and bacon. How could he not be feeling so nauseous? He shook his head, trying to force his it down so he could eat. He managed it to some extent and he was able to eat, at least a little before Andrew spoke up. 

“I was depressed when you left,” Andrew said, promptly earning Neil’s attention once more. “I gave you a ring and then you disappeared. I basically… declared my feelings for you by giving you that ring. And we both know that was very much out of my league back then, but I wanted to do it for you.” Neil swallowed a lump in his throat. “It was hell without you. You ripped my heart out and you took it with you. I get that I probably couldn’t have saved you from your father's wrath, but I could at least have done something to protect you. We could have run away. Together.” Andrew looked up, looking at Neil. “I could’ve…”

“I wouldn’t have let you Andrew,” Neil said, playing with his ring under the table. “I couldn’t have let him hurt you, like he hurt me.” He tugged at the ring and then put it back on. “You mean everything to me and if you had died, I would have followed you Drew.”

Neil waved the waiter over. “I would like the receipt, thanks.” The waiter nodded and went to the bar to get it. 

“We aren’t done talking Neil. You can’t run away from this. Not this time. Your father is dead.”

“So is my mother.” 

“Good,” Andrew said as he leaned over the table, closer to Neil. “Because if she wasn’t, I would have killed her for everything she has ever done to you.” 

Neil felt a spark of heat course through his body. It had been a while, exactly fourteen years since he had felt attraction towards anyone. But it was only Andrew he had ever felt attraction for, and it hadn’t changed once in the fourteen years he allowed himself to only catch a glimpse of Andrew every now and then. It wasn’t the first time Andrew had promised to protect him from those who hurt him. Neil knew Andrew would have killed his mother if his father hadn’t done it first. 

“Thank you, Andrew. For agreeing to meet up with me. And for not running away when I told you… Who my father was. You don’t have to pay,” Neil said with a small smile. “My treat.” Andrew nodded and Neil went to the bar to pay for their food before he went outside. He didn’t have to wait long before Andrew joined him, leaning against the wall, lightening a cigarette. He handed the pack to Neil and he took it. He shook a cigarette out and lit it. He inhaled, then exhaled. He handed the pack back to Andrew before he let the cigarette burn down between his fingers.

“Still wasting a perfectly good cigarette I see,” Andrew mumbled around the butt of his own cigarette. 

“I still like the scent more than the taste. Besides, you offered me a cigarette.”

“And you are still smug too I see,” Andrew sighed, smoke coming out from his lips. 

Neil’s smile widened a fraction as he dropped the cigarette and crushed it beneath the sole of his Adidas shoes.

“Say hello to your boyfriend for me.”

* * *

Andrew stared as Neil walked across the parking lot to the bicycle parking. He blinked, once, then twice, trying to figure out if he had heard Neil right. _A boyfriend_? As far as Andrew was concerned, he didn’t have a boyfriend nor was he dating anyone. When would he have the time to date between work and raising his daughter? He was tempted to follow Neil, so tempted he actually followed him across the parking lot.

“What boyfriend?” Andrew asked, and he must have looked confused, because Neil looked surprised. 

“What do you mean _what boyfriend_?” Neil said, his voice a little unsure. “Kevin. Your boyfriend.”

Andrew stared at Neil, because this had to be the best joke he had heard all year.

_Kevin’s my what now?_

“What?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	6. Slow dancing in the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose is staying with Aaron and Kevin for Halloween.  
> Andrew goes to Eden's Twilight for some adult fun. 
> 
> Neil's at Eden't Twilight too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> A NSFW chapter! This chapter is Rated E for sexual themes! Please be 18+, even if I can't stop you from reading.  
> Andrew goes to Eden's Twilight in this one. Neil's there too and things get heated!
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

Andrew laid awake the night after their talk at the dinner. He thought about his and Neil’s conversation outside where Neil asked him to say hello to his boyfriend. Andrew didn’t have a boyfriend,and as far as he knew, he hadn’t had one since Neil left him. But somehow Neil thought that  _ Kevin  _ was his boyfriend. He was not and Andrew had failed to tell Neil so, because now it seemed like he was off the market, which he was because he and Neil never formally broke up. Neil also seemed to be ignoring Andrew for reasons he didn’t know. All he knew was that Rose was worried about her favorite teacher and rightly so, when he was acting so weird around the two of them. That had been five weeks ago, and Andrew wasn’t sure what he could do to make it better, to make Neil listen to him when he told him that he was  _ not _ dating Kevin Day.

This was the pattern Andrew fell into: every night he would lay awake, thinking about how Neil could think that he and  _ Kevin  _ would ever be in a relationship. Kevin was head over heels for Aaron, Andrew’s identical twin. The two were practically joined at the hip, even back in high school when they denied their relationship. They denied it with every cell in their body, only for Andrew to walk in on them making out on the couch a week after Neil had left. He had almost killed Kevin for defiling his precious twin brother. Nicky had known the entire time that Kevin and Aaron had been dating and Andrew almost killed Nicky for letting Kevin get so close to Aaron.

That was all in the past, and Andrew was glad that Aaron and Kevin had each other at least. They were great with Rose and she loved them unconditionally, though Andrew was still her biggest love. They were also good when it came to last minute planning, thank god, because Andrew needed the child free-weekend so he could go out and  _ be _ an adult and  _ do  _ adult things with other adults. It was Halloween and Kevin and Aaron had promised to take Rose trick or treating, giving Andrew a rare weekend off to relax. Relaxing wasn’t what Andrew did when he found himself in a fully packed Eden’s Twilight for Halloween. He had dug out his old Exy uniform from when he was playing for the Foxes with Aaron and Kevin. The shirt had somehow shrunk in during too many washes, but it still fit, despite being tight. He pulled on a pair of light blue skinny jeans and a pair of boots.

For the past five years, Andrew had hooked up with different guys on Halloween, so it had sort of become his thing to let Aaron and Kevin have Rose for the weekend so Andrew could let loose. He never remembered who he was with on the particular nights, but one time it was a blonde guy in a bunny suit and then there was a black haired slutty cheerleader and a blonde guy wearing Sandy’s final outfit from Grease. He was standing at the bar, sipping his beer because he was determined not to get too hammered tonight. For once he wanted to remember who he was sleeping with for the first time in a while on a Halloween.

Roland came up from another end of the bar and put a whiskey glass down in front of him with a knowing look on his face. “This one is from the guy at the end of the bar.” Andrew raised an eyebrow at him, but looked at the general direction Roland had pointed with his head. And Andrew almost dropped his glass when he saw who the guy at the end of the bar was.

It was Neil. The guy at the end of the bar was Neil. And he looked amazing. He couldn’t quite tell what Neil was wearing, but from what he could see, it looked like a toga and a crop top and it looked amazing on him. He caught Neil’s eyes and raised the glass in thanks and Neil gave him a small smile in reply.

Neil came up to him after twenty minutes of staying at the other end of the bar, as if he was looking for Andrew’s imaginary companion.

“I don’t see Kevin anywhere.”

“Why would you?”

“Because he’s your—”

“He’s not my boyfriend Neil,” Andrew said as he finished the last of his drink. Now that Neil was close, he could really see what he was wearing. He was wearing this… tiny toga Andrew was sure was supposed to be for a lady, but it suited Neil perfectly. He was wearing a crop top underneath, hiding his chest, but some scars were still visible, and Andrew wanted nothing more than to undress him and kiss each and every scar he could find.

“But Rose… she drew… she said…”

“Junkie… he’s not my boyfriend and he will never be, believe me.”

“He’s not? He won’t?” Neil asked, sounding surprised when Andrew told him Kevin wasn’t his boyfriend. Andrew wasn’t impressed that Neil thought they were boyfriends, his stare bored and flat, remembering the drawing Rose had given to Kevin and Aaron a couple of nights ago. “You aren’t joking, are you?”

“No, Neil. I’m not joking. Kevin’s in a relationship with Aaron. My twin brother, remember him? He looks exactly like me, just uglier?”

Neil rolled his eyes and smiled fondly. “I remember Aaron. He was a prick, and he wasn’t really good at Exy. I don’t understand how Kevin’s in a relationship with someone who isn’t his Exy racquet.”

“Yeah, well Aaron’s still an Exy sucking prick, but he makes Kevin tolerable, so I suppose it has its perks. Besides, Rose is fond of them, so everything’s good. She’s with Kevin and Aaron, trick or treating. They usually send me all the pictures Saturday morning when I’m out of my alcohol induced coma.”

“Andrew has drunk himself senseless on Halloween for the past five years,” Roland supplied and Andrew could have throttled his old hook up for exposing him like that.

Neil laughed, because he knew exactly just how senseless Andrew had drunk himself on every Halloween. His laughter was the prettiest sound Andrew had ever heard and Andrew felt like he had been here before with Neil, but he couldn’t place the feeling. He reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind the golden leaf crown Neil was wearing in his auburn curls. It made Neil’s laugh die out and left a vulnerable look on Neil’s face in its wake.

“You’re wearing your old jersey,” Neil stated, and Andrew was surprised that Neil knew he was an old Palmetto Fox. “I watched you play Exy while I was on the run. You were good. Amazing even. The best. I mean… Whenever you were just standing there, all silent and stoic during press conferences, glaring daggers And death sentences at the interviewers and…”

“Neil?”

“Yes?”

Andrew’s hand slid down from Neil’s hair, to the back of his neck. His thick fingers wrapped around Neil’s long neck, pulling him closer until they were a mere breath from each other.

“Shut up,” he whispered, their lips almost touching, before Andrew closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together. It was like kissing Neil for the first time again. He could hear the fireworks, feel the humid South Carolina winter air against his skin. He could taste the coffee-whiskey mix Andrew had made him when he showed up looking like a drowned rat, but most importantly, it felt like coming home. But kissing Neil also felt like kissing that slutty cheerleader, the guy in Sandy's final outfit from Grease and the guy in the bunny suit. He pulled back, studying Neil’s relaxed face and he wondered what it felt like for Neil. He wondered if it felt like coming home to him as well.

Neil smiled and it was soft and nothing like the sharp smile he had in high school. Andrew surged forward, pressing his lips hard against Neil’s, making the younger man moan softly at the contact. Neil’s hands came up and hovered over his shoulders and Andrew ground out a ‘ _ yes _ ’. Neil’s hands pressed against his shoulders before they moved. One hand moved into Andrew’s hair, the other clutching the back of his jersey, but both of them were pulling him closer. Andrew was holding onto the counter of the bar, because he was sure if he let go, he would fall. His other hand found Neil’s waist, pulling him closer too.

“Ehem,” Roland said, clearing his throat at the couple.

Andrew had Neil pressed against himself, his fingers curled around the counter and Neil’s hips while both of Neil’s legs were almost wrapped around Andrew’s waist. One of his legs certainly was and Neil was probably flaunting his underwear at everyone who could see them. He glared at Roland, who held out the keys to the break room.

“Remember to clear up after yourself, alright?” Roland said as he snatched the keys from the bartender’s hand. He pulled away from Neil who whined at the loss of Andrew’s body against him.

“Come on Junkie,” he said as he held up the keys. Neil grinned and turned his head to look at Roland.

“Thanks Ro,” he said when Andrew grabbed him by the hand and pulled him along to the hall that led to the break room. They didn’t make it far before Neil pulled Andrew close by the hand and kissed him senselessly. Andrew growled into the kiss, letting go of Neil’s hand to push him up against the wall. His hands found their way to Neil’s waist, pinning him to the wall as Neil cupped Andrew’s face between his hands. He bucked his hips forward and whined when Andrew tightened his fingers around his hips.

“Andrew… Come on, I need you,” he gasped against Andrew’s lips, his hands moving into his hair, tugging at the blonde strands. Andrew growled again, his teeth sinking into Neil’s lower lip. He ground their hips together, making Neil gasp sharply at the contact. Neil already had a pretty obvious boner in his toga, and Andrew had a matching boner in his skinny jeans too. He hooked the skirt of Neil’s toga up, revealing the tiniest pair of boxers –  _ white boxers _ , mind you – he had ever seen on another man. And there was already a wet patch of precum at the head of Neil’s cock.

“Fucking  _ hell _ Neil,” he said, though it sounded more like a growl. “These are  _ tiny. _ How did you fit your cock in there?”

“A lot of willpower.”

Andrew smacked the side of his thigh, making Neil hiss a little.

“Stop being so smug Neil. It doesn’t suit you,” Andrew said and sunk to his knees easily, despite the slight crack it gave when bent to a certain degree. He put one of Neil’s legs over his shoulders and turned his head, pressing his nose into the inside of Neil’s thigh. His eyes slid closed, enjoying the breathy gasps that came from the man above him. He opened his eyes, wanting to commit the sight of Neil above him to memory. He sucked hickeys onto Neil’s inner thighs, sometimes sinking his teeth into the tender flesh, making Neil gasp sharply.

“Fuck Drew.”

Andrew hummed as he bit down a little harder, leaving a bite mark in his wake. He pulled back enough for him to pull down his boxers and they even got past his hips before Andrew stopped in his tracks. There was a tattoo on Neil’s hips. A half moon tattoo, colored in galaxy purple and blues. He had seen it before. He had pressed his hips against it before. The guy in the bunny suit had a tattoo like this. The guy in the slutty cheerleader uniform had one too and the guy in Sandy’s final outfit from Grease also had one.

Andrew’s eyes widened a fraction as he remembered where he had seen the tattoo before.

“Finally remember?”

He looked up at Neil, hazel eyes meeting blue. He had sucked Neil off before.

_ Fuck _

“I’ve sucked you off before.” It sounded more like Andrew was stating facts than anything else. He stood up and let go of the elastic band of Neil’s boxers, the sensation making Neil jump a little in surprise. He stepped up close to Neil. He didn’t know how to feel about the fact that he had indeed been hooking up with Neil for the past five years on  _ every _ Halloween party he had been to at Eden’s Twilight. And Roland knew. And Neil knew. “I’ve fucked you—”

“You haven’t. You’ve sucked my cock, but you’ve never fucked me,” Neil said, and it was a relief to know that he hadn’t taken advantage of Neil while being drunk. “I wouldn’t let you, even if I wanted you to fuck me senseless every time.”

“Thank fuck for that, huh?” Andrew was glad he hadn’t had sex with Neil in a drunken state because he had been in love with him for the past fourteen years and he wanted to be able to remember the first time he and Neil had sex together. Neil wrapped his arms around Andrew’s shoulders, pulling him even closer to him. He grabbed Neil’s hips harshly, pinning him once again to the wall. He debated with himself whether or not he liked this new information about missing parts of his otherwise flawless memory when he felt Neil’s lips against his neck. He titled his head back, allowing Neil more space to explore. He sighed, the first sound he had made since they started kissing, when Neil opened his mouth and graced his teeth against the sensitive, pale skin.

“Your neck fetish is not attractive.”

“You like it. I like that you like it.” Andrew allowed Neil to suck a few hickeys onto his pale neck before he slid his hand into his auburn hair and pulled Neil away. He pressed his lips against Neil’s spit slick lips, his tongue pushing past Neil’s lips, pushing in for a deep kiss. Neil moaning into the kiss made it easier for Andrew to deepen the kiss. Neil’s arms tightened around Andrew’s shoulders as Andrew’s hands wandered down from Neil’s hips to his thigh. He hooked his hand underneath one of his knees and brought it up until it was hooked around his waist. Neil quickly got the message and made a small jump with his foot. Andrew caught him with a hand on his ass, his other hand holding onto his thigh. Neil’s legs locked around Andrew as he pushed them off the wall and took them to the break room. It took a bit longer than he originally planned to get the door open, but that was mostly because Andrew had been an idiot and put the keys in his front pocket.

The music was loud, even in the break room. Andrew kicked the door closed behind him and turned the lock before he pressed Neil up against the door, kissing him feverishly. The toga pooled around Neil’s hips, framing his legs as they were wrapped around Andrew’s waist. His hands slid up under the skirt of Neil’s toga, his fingers digging into the thin fabric of Neil’s boxers. His fingers slid up under his legs, his nails digging into the soft skin of Neil’s ass, dragging angry red lines down from his ass to his upper thighs, making Neil gasp and moan wetly into the heated kiss. His hands slid up Neil’s sculptured runner thighs until his fingers could wrap around the elastic band of his boxers once again. Just as he was about to pull them down, someone ran into the door, letting out an audible ‘ _ ow’ _ before the handle was pulled down and then a rustle of keys.

“Go away!” Andrew yelled to the person on the other side of the door. It killed the mood a bit, but he waited a minute before he returned his attention to Neil, who was eagerly pulling at his jersey. He pulled the boxers down as much as he could, as much as the non-existent space between them allowed him to. They broke apart to breath, and Andrew took advantage of the added break. He grabbed one of Neil’s knees and unwrapped it from around his waist. He didn’t expect the boxers to be so stretchy, but they were, because Andrew managed to pull them off Neil’s leg without breaking into a sweat or having to tear them off his body.

“Do you have lube?” Neil asked and Andrew was surprised how Neil didn’t care for a condom. He reached out and grabbed a bottle of lube from one of the shelves next to the door. He hoisted Neil higher up against the wall.

“Are you sure you want this?”

“Am I sure I want you to take my virginity? Yes Andrew, I’m sure.”

“Are you sure you want to have your virginity taken at a dirty club, Neil?” Neil pulled him close, rubbing their noses together before he kissed him.

“Yes Andrew. As long as it’s with you,” he said, his voice soft against his lips. He looked at Neil, looked into his eyes, looking for any signs of hesitation or doubt. There was none and it made Andrew certain that Neil wasn’t going to regret this. He leaned up and captured Neil’s lips in a deep kiss that was all tongue and teeth and neither one of them minded. He popped the cap of the bottle open in his hand. He had Neil pinned to the door with his body, so he had both hands free. He poured a decent amount of lube into his hand, warming it as he put his unlubed hand on Neil’s ass cheek, his fingers digging into the soft flesh, pulling it slightly, making it easier for him to rub lube all over Neil’s puckered hole. There was a knock on the door and the door handle was pulled down again.

Neil hissed, maybe because the lube was still cold and maybe because it was his first time having anything pressed against his rim, and it could also have been because Neil had the door handle digging into his back. At this point, Andrew didn’t know, but it annoyed him to no end that people couldn’t take a hint.

“Get lost!” he yelled and pressed his lips against Neil’s jaw, moving down his neck as he rubbed his fingers in circles around his rim, not waiting until the person behind the door.

Neil’s head tilted back against the door, exposing his entire neck, exposing every tiny mole and freckle and every small scar. Andrew kissed every mark he came across as he explored the tan skin on Neil’s neck and the exposed part of his upper chest and shoulders. He arched his back, pressing their stomachs and crotches together. A whimper left Neil when his naked cock pressed against Andrew’s jean clad cock.

“ _ Fuck,”  _ he whimpered, pushing back from the scratchy fabric. He pressed back against Andrew’s finger, gasping at sudden pressure at his hole. “ _ F-Fuck  _ An’rew. You can… You can push your finger i— _ in!” _ Andrew didn’t have to be told twice. He eased his finger inside, slowly so Neil could get used to the feeling. But Neil moved back against his finger, taking the entire digit inside him. Something told him that Neil had had something up his butt before. “Neil?” he asked, his breath hot against Neil’s spit slick neck. 

“Yeah Drew?” he breathed out softly.

“You’ve fingered yourself before.”

Neil tensed around Andrew’s finger, just a little before he relaxed again. “I… have. You can add another finger… or two.” Andrew slapped Neil’s ass just hard enough to make him gasp. He pulled his finger out and rubbed twin finger’s against his rim, before he pushed them inside. He was surprised how easy it was. “Did you finger yourself before coming here tonight?” He couldn’t hear Neil swallow, but he could see how his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Yes…?” Neil replied, earning himself a hard thrust of Andrew’s fingers. “ _ Shit! _ ” he moaned. Andrew wasn’t gentle as he thrust his fingers in and out of Neil’s ass. Neil was responsive. He was moaning, writhing, grinding his naked, precum dripping cock against Andrew’s clothed cock, and he was pushing back against his fingers, like he couldn’t get enough. The third time someone knocked on the door, Andrew was three fingers deep and he was ready to murder the person behind the door. He pulled his fingers out of Neil and he let out an audible whine.

“We’re leaving.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to bury my cock inside of you, but I can’t with all these  _ idiots _ knocking on the door.” He put Neil down, taking a step back when he was sure he had both feet on the floor. “Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

Neil pouted but did as he was told. He pulled his boxers back on, the boxers did  _ nothing  _ to hide his boner and the toga didn’t help either. Andrew’s skinny jeans probably didn’t help hiding his boner. He turned around and unlocked the door, shooting daggers at the man outside. “Thank you for ruining this for me,” he growled at the man, who paled in the dim lighting in the hall as Neil passed him on his way out. Andrew stepped out, stepping up to the already frightened man. He wiped his lube covered hand off on his shirt, then buried both hands in his pockets. He went out to the bar and tossed the keys at Roland.

“I cleaned up on one of the busboys.”

“What? Why would you do that!?”

“He interrupted us one too many times. And you asked me to clean up after me.”

“Jesus Andrew.”

“Bye Roland!” Andrew called over the music as he walked out of the club, joining Neil in the front. He was still pouting. He walked up to him, wrapping his arms around his waist as he pulled him close and kissed the pout out of his face. “When we get back to my apartment, I’m going to undress you and I’m going to fuck you until you can’t think straight.” Neil sighed, his half closed.

“Okay Drew,” he hummed, and Andrew grinned against Neil’s lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	7. Slow dancing in the dark pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After one too many knocks on the break room door at Eden’s Twilight, they take a cab to Andrew’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> A NSFW chapter! This chapter is Rated E for sexual themes! Please be 18+, even if I can't stop you from reading.  
> After Eden’s Twilight, they head back to Andrew’s apartment. 
> 
> Also a big thanks to [Criswisstuf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/criswisstuf/pseuds/criswisstuf) for one particular scene!
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

The cab ride to Andrew’s apartment went without a trouble. They made out in the backseat of the car and Andrew paid the lady a decent tip for not yelling at them for it, even though he could tell that she wanted to. They went up to his apartment, barely able to keep their hands to themselves. They undressed in the hall, clothes and shoes flying everywhere. Neil had a second before undressing where he was self-conscious about his scars, and by then Andrew had undressed down to nothing and was working on Neil’s toga. Andrew picked him up and carried him down through the living room to his bedroom and almost tossed Neil onto his king-sized bed. Neil scooted up higher on the bed as Andrew grabbed the lube and a condom for safe measures. He grabbed a towel on his way from the bathroom and tossed them onto the bed, before he crawled onto the bed himself. He got in between Neil’s legs and their crotches a mere inch apart.

Neil watched Andrew and he hated how he tracked him with his eyes. He lifted his legs until they reached Andrew’s hips then wrapped them around his waist, pulling him closer until the space between them vanished. Neil sighed when he felt Andrew’s cock against his. He lifted his hips off the bed, locking his ankles behind Andrew’s back. Andrew looked down at Neil, his eyes wandering down his chest and stomach, taking in every scar, every mole and every freckle on his body.

His hands had a mind of their own: they trailed down from Neil’s knees to his thighs and his hips, until they settled on his waist, pulling him closer if that was possible. He ground their hips together, enjoying this feeling more than when he was restricted by his skinny jeans. Neil’s cock leaking precum onto his stomach and his own leaked onto Neil’s, making it an easier slide, until Andrew grabbed the bottle of lube next to him. He warmed the bottle in his hand, because he knew just how cold lube could be, especially when it was stored in the bathroom. He poured a small amount of lube into his hand once he was satisfied with the temperature of the lube he wrapped his hand around their cocks.

“ _ F-Fuck, _ ” Neil moaned, his hips stuttering as Andrew began to move his hand around them. Andrew’s pace wasn’t slow, it was fast and it made Neil louder than he had been in the club. There was no loud music, no loud crowd cheering to deafen Neil’s moans. This was his quiet apartment, just the two of them. There was only Andrew’s quiet breathing and Neil’s loud moaning whenever Andrew twisted his wrist just right, making Neil’s hips buck up into his fist.

Bringing Neil to the edge was easier than Andrew had imagined. The steady flow of precum dripping from Neil’s cock told Andrew that he was close, maybe too close to the edge. He pulled his hand away, earning himself a high pitched whine and a thrust of Neil’s hips.

“Why did you stop?” He whined in the same high tone.

“Because I don’t want you to cum before I’ve fucked you.”

A blush crept onto Neil’s freckled, scarred cheeks. It was the second time he had seen Neil blush and he loved it just as much as he did back in high school. Neil nodded, agreeing with Andrew. He didn’t want to cum before he had had the chance to have Andrew’s cock inside of him. He grabbed the bottle of lube and warmed it in his hand again, before he poured a decent amount then rubbed it around his cock. He positioned himself at Neil’s hole, rubbing his cock against his rim before the tip pressed against his hole and he was finally inside. Neil’s eyes closed, his head tilted back, silent gasps leaving him. His legs unwrapped themselves from Andrew’s waist and curled in on himself, his knees pressed against his own chest.

He was slow as he eased all the way inside Neil, taking in the way his knees pressed against his chest, the way his head tilted back and how his raised and fell with each gasp and moan. Once his cock was buried to the hilt, he stopped moving, allowing Neil to get used to being full. Andrew was average in shape and above average in size, though it wasn’t by much, but Andrew still thought his 6.32 inches were impressive for someone his size. Neil was a little wider in shape and average in size, but Andrew loved his cock all the same.

“ _ Fuck, _ ” Neil gasped, his back arching slightly to adjust to the feeling of being full. “You’re so big Drew.” The only thing Neil had to compare Andrew’s cock against was his fingers and they barely did their job. Andrew had to get Neil a few toys to play with so he could get used to having something up his ass, if they were serious about continuing this. “You can move now Drew,” he croaked after a few minutes of silence, his blue eyes hooded as he looked up at Andrew.

Andrew looked down at him, searching for any signs of either hesitation, doubt or regret, but he found none in the hooded, clear blue eyed stare. He slowly began to rock into Neil, making him gasp until they turned into moans and whimpers as Andrew’s thrusts became faster and harder. Neil was very vocal in bed and Andrew didn’t mind one bit, because Neil made up for the silence on his end, broken by occasional groans that escaped his lips. His eyes closed as he lost himself to the pleasure and the heat that was Neil, but his eyes snapped open when a high pitched moan escaped him.

“Fuck, do that again Drew,” he gasped hotly, the back of head pressed into the pillows. Andrew did it again, thrust in at the right angle again and Neil let out another high pitched moan as Andrew thrust against his prostate once more. Neil’s moans didn’t get any lower or softer. They got louder and higher as he grew closer to his orgasm. Andrew could tell by how his back arched off the bed, how his thighs tightened around his waist and how his breathing got faster.

“I’m so close Drew,” Neil sobbed as Andrew continued trusting against his prostate. Andrew grabbed Neil’s hips hard, pulling them further off the bed, allowing him a deeper penetration. Neil threw his head back with a sob as he came in thick ropes onto his scarred stomach. He tightened around Andrew’s cock, pulling a deep groan from him as he fell over the edge, plunging right into his own orgasm. He filled Neil with his cum, thrusting into him as his orgasm faded. He pulled out much to Neil’s disappointment, if the whine that came from Neil was any indication. He grabbed a couple tissues and began to clean Neil before he got up from the bed. He grabbed the condom and bottle of lube and put them on the nightstand, then went to the bathroom to pee and grab a wet washcloth. When he came back, he began to clean Neil up, then himself. Neil tried to get up from the bed and partially managed until his knees gave out under him, making him laugh. Andrew rolled his eyes fondly, then helped Neil to the bathroom and back to bed when he was done.

They laid there for a while, Neil’s head on Andrew’s stomach, his nose pushed into the soft slightly plush skin, one arm lazily slung around his hips and one of his legs between Andrew’s legs. One of Andrew’s hands was resting on Neil, the other buried in his hair, running through the auburn curls. Andrew had never felt more at home than he did with Neil resting on his chest and his long limbs wrapped around him. Andrew, who didn’t like being held down or to sleep with someone he had just had sex with, felt at home with Neil and his long limbs.

It was Neil who broke the silence first.

“What are we Drew? Boyfriends? Friends with benefits?” he tilted his head back to look up at Andrew. The room was dark, save for a slice of moonlight and the clock on the nightstand, but Andrew could feel Neil’s eyes on him.

“Well…” Andrew started, “We never broke up in high school. You just left. Even though you left with a note and I was angry and upset with you, because I told you that I liked you and hurt me without giving me an explanation.” He took a deep breath and felt Neil shift besides him, so his head was resting against his shoulder instead. “I became really depressed and I went into therapy with Nicky’s psychiatrist because I was really far out,” he took Neil’s hand and pressed it against the litany of scars that covered the inside of his arms. Neil made a sound but Andrew kept going, “That far out. I self-harmed and I began to drink and do drugs, but not hard drugs. There’s this drug called Cracker Dust and it’s non-addictive. Well… Let’s just say that I made a lot of bad decisions and… Bee adopted me and Aaron. The psychiatrist.”

Andrew didn’t intend for Neil to feel bad by telling him this story. It was the truth and if he could be brave enough and tell him of his abusive mother and serial murdering father, Andrew could be brave enough to tell Neil that he almost cut himself to shreds and almost drank himself into oblivion with Aaron and Kevin.

“I’m sorry,” Neil whispered and it was so quiet that Andrew almost missed it. “I wanted to stay but my mom… She went nuts when she saw one of my father’s people in Columbia.” Andrew hand slid from Neil’s hair and around his shoulders, he squeezed it and pulled him closer.

“Don’t say anymore Neil,” he said, his own voice low now. “It was out of your hands… I’m just glad you are back.”

Neil pushed his face into Andrew’s shoulder, trying to hide a silly smile, but Andrew could feel it against his skin still. “So… Boyfriends?”

Andrew rolled his eyes and smiled fondly. “Yes boyfriends Neil.” He looked down at the same time as Neil looked up and their lips found each other in the dark. It was soft and neither of their lips were chapped and it wasn’t cold nor were they on a porch. This was warm and gentle and so full of feelings that Andrew could burst. He had never felt anything for anyone besides Neil and Rose. “Get some sleep Junkie.”

Neil pressed a final kiss to Andrew’s lips before he laid down with his head on his chest. Andrew’s hand went back into Neil’s curls, and he listened as Neil’s breathing evened out before he fell asleep too.

When Andrew woke up the next morning it was with a startle. He might have been imagining things, but he wasn’t sure, because something had touched his leg. He slowly sat up and looked around for the thing that could have touched him, when he saw Neil, completely covered by the plush blanket and duvet, his auburn a dark contrast to his white sheets. He reached over and carefully touched Neil’s cheek, because he could still be dreaming for all he knew. But the feeling of Neil’s warm skin against his palm, the soft hum and the titanium ring on Neil’s index finger, let him know that Neil was real.

_ He’s home. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No cabs were hurt in the process of getting laid.
> 
> Thank you for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	8. My heart's made up on you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew begins to wonder how he should tell Rose, Kevin, and Aaron about their relationship. 
> 
> Andrew takes Rose out to her favorite restaurant and he invites Aaron and Kevin over for dinner, where he tells them about Neil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> An emotional chapter! Andrew tells Rose about him and Neil, Andrew asks Neil a question and Andrew tells Aaron and Kevin about Neil.  
> 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

Andrew was on cloud nine after Neil agreed to  _ still _ be his boyfriend after fourteen years apart. He was ecstatic and it showed in the lightness of his steps. But now he was facing a new challenge – he needed to tell Rose that he and Neil were together. In a relationship. But how did he tell her that he was dating her favorite teacher? He had to be frank and tell her the truth or she would get upset. He kept their relationship private because this wasn’t Aaron or Kevin’s business nor was it Rose’s, though he suspected that Rose somehow knew, because she was smart just like her mother and that scared Andrew sometimes. Neil didn’t stay over his apartment, and Andrew didn’t stay over at Neil’s place during weekdays because Andrew couldn’t leave Rose to fuck Neil or kiss him good night, he had to settle with quick glimpses at school when he dropped off Rose and picked her up.

On weekends where Rose was with her uncles or her grandmother or Wymack and Abby, Neil came over. When Neil stayed over, they rarely left the bed. Neil left for his morning run where he brought pastries and morning bread for the weekend, so they didn’t have to leave the apartment for anything. For lunch they didn’t eat anything because they were too busy catching up on what had happened during their time apart and when dinner time came around, they ordered in and watched movies.

When Andrew stayed over at Neil’s, they went out on dates because of Neil’s obnoxious roommates Dan and Matt. Roommates Neil had met in college when he studied Math. Andrew didn’t mind Dan and Matt, but the apartment walls were thin, and he wasn’t about to make Neil scream his name like Matt was making Dan do. It was always hard to face them in the morning after they had had loud sex.

Neil had told Dan and Matt about him and Andrew and Andrew didn’t mind. They looked like over enthusiastic puppies the first time Andrew met them. He didn’t particularly like them, but he would tolerate them for Neil’s sake. He was pretty sure they felt the same way about him. They tolerated him for Neil, and they were fine with that. They went on double dates and had movie nights and it was nice to experience what a normal life with Neil could have been like. Would be like when Neil agreed to move in with him and Rose. 

After he had told Rose about them.

It was February when Andrew decided that he needed to tell Rose. He wanted Neil to move in before long because he couldn’t stand not seeing Neil everyday. They had spent fourteen years apart and Andrew didn’t want to waste any more time without him. He picked Rose up from school and let her say goodbye to her friends while he stood by the door with Neil. They stood close, their hands touching, fingers interlocked.

“I’m telling her tonight,” he said. He watched as Rose made her round around the class, hugging all of her friends, which actually was the entire class.

“Yeah?” Neil said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Yeah,” he replied with a short nod as Rose approached them with a wide smile. “I’m taking her to her favorite restaurant and then I’m gonna tell her.”

“I’m ready to go daddy!” She all but yelled at him before she flung herself at Andrew and he almost didn’t catch her. Neil laughed and he took one step to the side, creating some space between them.

“Alright baby girl,” he said as he picked her up and had Neil help him getting Rose her coat and beanie on because it was raining that afternoon. Rose laughed happily as she wriggled in Andrew’s arms. She wrapped one of her arms around Andrew’s neck so she could wave at Neil with the other.

“Bye Mr. Josten!”

Neil smiled and waved back at her. “Bye Rosie. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye Andrew.”

Andrew didn’t want to say goodbye to Neil, but he had to. “Bye Neil.” Rose gasped and Andrew and Neil looked at her, scared she was choking on something.

“ _ Daddy! _ ” she fake-whispered, “You called Mr. Josten  _ Neil! _ ”

Andrew stared at his daughter with something that looked like surprise in his hazel eyes. “Yes baby, I called Mr. Josten Neil, because that’s his name.”

“No, his name is Mr. Josten.” She was pouting now, and Andrew could feel her on the edge of a meltdown because of a long day at school and hunger.

“Right, I apologize… How about we get you some chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs?” he suggested, pressing his lips against her hair. Rose nodded and wrapped her other warm around Andrew’s neck and Andrew looked up at Neil. “We’ll see you tomorrow Mr. Josten.”

Neil nodded and smiled softly at them. “Bye Mr. Minyard. Rosie, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Rose nodded and managed to pull away from her father to wave at Neil, before Andrew left with Rose for the day.

Andrew took Rose to her favorite restaurant just a few blocks away from home. It had been her favorite place ever since she found out they had dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and pasta shaped like animals. He got them their usual table by the window and Rose got a small coloring book and crayons. He helped Rose out of her jacket and beanie before she went to play in the playground while Andrew ordered their usual food. He watched Rose play for a while before she came over and crawled into the booth next to her dad and Andrew lifted her onto his lap. She pulled the coloring book closer and the crayons and began to color the book.

“Rose?”

“Yes daddy?”

“What…” he searched for words because he still wasn’t sure how to tell her about Neil. “What would you say… if daddy got a boyfriend?”

She stopped coloring for a second to look up at her father. “Like uncl’ Kiwie and Aari?” She asked, and Andrew nodded because yes, it was exactly like Kevin and Aaron. “That wou’d be cool.” It was said in such a casual tone that Andrew had to backtrack, because he wasn’t prepared for his daughter to be okay with that. She went back to coloring until their food arrived. She put the crayons in the packet, closed the coloring book and pulled her plate of dinosaur nuggets and animal pasta with tomato sauce. Andre had gotten himself chicken breast, regular pasta and tomato sauce and a side salad because Rose liked to pick at the tomatoes and eat it.

“That’s… good. Because daddy has a boyfriend and I want you to like him, because I like him a lot.” He cut his food out before Rose began to eat.

“Can I meet ‘im?” she asked with her mouth full of nuggets and pasta. Andrew scoffed and smiled softly. Of course she wanted to meet his boyfriend.

“Actually…” he said and scratched the back of his head a little. “You see him every day. And he’s a teacher at your school.”

“Is it Mr. Hernandez?”

Andrew almost choked on his pasta. “ _ What _ ?” He wheezed, “Mr. Hernandez is like… sixty years old. He could be your grandpa.” Rose wrinkled her nose is disgust. “That’s what I thought. But it’s not Mr. Hernandez. It’s… It’s actually Mr. Josten baby. Daddy’s dating Neil.” Rose dropped her fork and turned around in her father’s lap. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape.

“ _ Mr. Josten!? _ ” She shrieked, making the waiters, patrons and their children turn around to look at them. Rose held a hand over her mouth. Andrew apologized for his daughter’s behavior. “Mr. Josten!?” She fake-whispered. He nodded and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him. “You like Mr. Josten  _ too _ !?”

“I do baby. I like Mr. Josten a lot. So he might show up at our place sometime if that’s alright,” he asked, and Rose nodded enthusiastically. 

“Can he come over? Tomorrow?”

“I’ll have to ask him if he wants to come over baby.”

“Call ‘im!”

Andrew stared at his daughter. She usually never asked him to call someone. She could pick up his phone and call her grandmother, Kevin, or Aaron, but only because they were on speed dial 1, 2 and 3. On occasion she would press speed dial 4 to 9 just for the heck of it and she was always surprised when Abby answered Wymack’s phone and vice versa, but she would talk to them nonetheless about everything and nothing.

“You… Want me to call Neil?”

“ _ Yes! _ Call  _ Neil! _ ” Andrew pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Neil’s number, then put his phone to his ear and waited for him to pick up.

“ _ Hello? _ ”

“Ask ‘im to come ‘ere!” Rose whispered into Andrew’s other ear.

“It’s me. Can you come down to DiPrato's? It’s on Pickens St.”

“ _ Sure. I’ll be there in like… ten minutes. Did something happen? _ ” There was rustling of clothes and keys in the background and a door slamming.

“I told her. She wants you to come down here.” Neil chuckled and Andrew tried not to smile like a lovesick teenager in front of his daughter.

“ _ I’ll be there in ten, yeah? _ ”

“Yeah. See you,” he said and hung up the phone. He put it back into his pocket and looked at Rose. He was suddenly nervous; even if she knew Neil. “He’s coming in ten minutes.” Rose giggled and Andrew wrapped his arms around her and kissed her nose. “Eat your dinner, yeah? When Neil get’s here, we’re all having dessert.”

“Okay!” She said as she turned in Andrew’s lap and finished her dinner. She went to play in the ball pit with five minutes to spare. Andrew kept his eyes on the door, smiling when he saw the flash of auburn curls pass the window. He followed auburn curls until the person stepped through the doors. Andrew stood up instinctively so Neil would see him. Neil grinned and walked over to the table.

“Thank you for inviting me over Drew.”

“ _ MR. NEIL!” _ Rose shrieked from the playground before he turned and was almost tackled to the floor by a four year old. He barely managed to catch himself against the booth and the table when Rose crashed into his legs. “You’re datin’ my daddy!”

Neil’s eyes widened a fraction, but not enough to make Rose pull back. Instead Neil gently pried Rose off his legs and kneeled down in front of her. “That I am Rosie. Is that okay? That I’m dating your dad?” Rose nodded and wrapped her arms around Neil, and he picked her up and put her on his hip.

“It’s perfect! Because I like you! And daddy likes you! And daddy does t’is  _ deeeep _ sigh when he sees you!”

“Rose,” Andrew sighed, rubbing his hand against his forehead.

“You do daddy!” She said, looking at her father, then at Neil. “It’s like this.” She did a perfect imitation of Andrew’s  _ deep sigh _ whenever he saw Neil and he was out of earshot. Neil looked at Andrew and grinned at him. Andrew knew he was screwed from the first time he ever laid his eyes on Neil, but now he was even more sure that he was screwed. Neil laughed at Rose and then Rose laughed and Andrew couldn’t stop smiling. Neil sat down on the opposite bench with Rose in his lap. She looked at Neil, her arms wrapped around his neck. “Are you really dating daddy?”

Neil smiled and it was soft, no sharp edges like in high school. “I really am dating your dad. And I promise I’ll do anything in my power to make him happy.” It was a big promise, because not much made Andrew happy, but Andrew’s heart skipped a beat. Rose turned around in Neil’s lap and looked at Andrew.

“I like him daddy. Can we keep him?”

Neil burst out laughing, then Rose burst out laughing and Andrew cracked a wider smile.

“Well… I was going to ask Neil if he wanted to move in with us.” Neil’s laugh was replaced with a surprised look, his blue eyes going wide when he realized what Andrew had asked him.

“You… want me to move in? With you and Rose?” He asked, his voice a little shaky. He moved to the other side of the booth, so he was sitting next to Neil and Rose. “Are you serious Drew?”

“Really daddy?” Rose sounded excited now and Andrew feared that Neil was going to say no, and he feared that Neil saying no would break Rose’s heart. Andrew nodded and Rose squealed happily. She turned to face Neil again.

They both looked at Neil, who had been stunned into silence by Andrew's proposal. He looked at Rose, then up at Andrew. He reached out with one hand, carefully curling his fingers in the collar of Andrew’s shirt. He pulled him in a little, then leaned in the rest of the way and pressed his lips against Andrew’s. It was soft and Andrew reached out and put his hand against Neil’s cheek. Neil pulled back enough, until their foreheads was pressed together.

“Yes Drew. I’ll move in with you.”

“ _ Yes! _ ” Rose cried and wrapped her arms around Neil and Andrew.

If this was what happiness felt like, Andrew didn’t mind.

What Andrew still hadn’t figured out was how to tell Aaron and Kevin that he was in a relationship with the guy who almost killed him fourteen years ago, even though it was closer to fifteen years at this point. Andrew didn’t hold it against Neil, not anymore because Neil was on the run and in hiding and if Neil hadn’t run, they all might have been dead. At sixteen Andrew might have preferred being dead than having to live and Neil’s departure almost did that to him, but Andrew forgave him, however Aaron and Kevin might not forgive him for what he had done.

Neil had begun to move in after they had come clean to Rose. He stayed over during the weekdays and the weekend, bringing over a box of something each time he came over. They went to the amusement park, the playground, and the museum. They got ice cream even if the weather wasn’t all that great. Neil introduced Rose to Dan and Matt and Rose  _ loved _ them and they loved Rose back. Dan and Matt thought they were moving too fast, but they trusted Neil’s judgement and his decisions. They were added to the long list of people who could baby sit when Andrew and Neil were going on dates or needed some time alone.

Rose had done a great job at keeping for mouth shut when it came to telling Aaron and Kevin about Neil. She knew it wasn’t her mission or her secret to tell her uncles. He had invited Kevin and Aaron over for dinner after Neil had stayed over and he hadn’t cleaned up everything after the weekend. Neil had begun to feel at home at the apartment, which had resulted in Neil leaving his stuff around their place. A toothbrush, a comb, shampoo and conditioner for his curly hair. A pair of boxers was on his floor under the bed and a pair of sweatpants was thrown haphazardly over the foot of the bed, a t-shirt of Neil’s favorite Exy team was on his dresser and a hoodie from an Arizonan college Neil had attended was lying on the couch.

Keys jingled from the front door and the door was opened with too much force. “Hey!” Kevin called as they opened the door with the spare key.

“ _ KIWIE! _ ” Rose squealed. She stood on the couch, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, her hair done in pigtails. She jumped up and down on the couch as she waited for either one of her uncles to round the corner from the entry hall.

“Don’t jump on the couch Rose,” Andrew said over the noise of the electric whisk from the open kitchen-dining room. He was making a stew for them and nuggets for Rose. Kevin came around the corner to the living room and Rose jumped into his arms.

“Careful,” Kevin said as he caught Rose midair. He held her close and kissed her nose softly. “Hi ladybug.” Rose giggled and hugged Kevin, who then passed her on to Aaron, who kissed her cheeks.

“Hi pretty,” he said, and Rose laughed softly. She wrapped her arms around Aaron’s neck as he walked to the kitchen. “Hey. We brought wine.”

“Thanks. Dinner is ready soon,” he said as he put the mashed potatoes on the table. He pulled Rose’s chair out and she climbed onto it. He pushed her in as Aaron sat down next to her and helped her get something to drink as Kevin brought in the wine. He opened it and began to pour them a glass each as Andrew finished the food. He put the pot on the table and began to serve Rose her nuggets.

“I’ve something I need to tell you.” He sat down next to Kevin. He could feel their eyes on him as he sat and began to pour the food onto their plates. They were both quiet, knowing better than to interrupt Andrew when he was saying something important. “I’m seeing someone.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow and Kevin almost choked on his mash potatoes. They all stared at Kevin as he turned red before he managed to clear his throat. “Is it weird to think of me in a relationship?”

“No,” Kevin croaked as he cleared his throat, “Not at all.”

“Good. Because you know him. You’ve met him when you’ve picked Rose up from school,” he said as Rose snickered in her seat. Aaron had both eyebrows raised now and Kevin choked once again. “Okay, you need to stop that Kevin. I’m worried about you,” he said in monotone voice.

“It’s Mr. Josten,” Rose said, looking at Andrew who nodded at her. “Daddy loves him! Like… they have been together forever!”

“Not forever. Since Halloween.”

“Since  _ when _ ?” It was Aaron’s turn to choke on his food. 

“Halloween. But you might not know him as Neil Josten, Rose’s teacher, but as… Alex Smith from high school.” The room got eerily quiet as Kevin and Aaron processed what Andrew just had told them. Andrew knew what they were thinking and what they were going to say. They were going to say that he was crazy, and that Neil was just going to hurt him again. That Neil was going to skip town and this time it would break him for good.

“You do realize what he did last time?” Aaron asked, his voice not at friendly. It was dark, void of emotion and all consuming. Of course Andrew remembered what happened, he was there after all. He had to look at all of the scars after all.

“I know, I was there Aaron. I didn’t forget. I don’t forget, remember?” He tapped the side of his head, because his eidetic memory would never allow him to forget the hurt and pain people had put him through growing up. “Neil’s changed and he’s changed a lot and I like him, so I don’t care if you like him or not.” He finished his glass of red wine, then leaned back in his chair. Kevin watched the tension between the twins.

“He almost—”

“Why don’t we go and watch some TV Rose?” Kevin interrupted and pushed his chair back from the table with his feet.

“I want him out Andrew. He’s not good for you or for Rose, Andrew. I want him out before he can hurt you again.”

“No!” Rose cried. “I don’t want him out!”

“He’s moving in Aaron. And if you don’t like it, then you are more than welcome to leave,” Andrew said, his voice void of emotion. “He’s my boyfriend and he’s moving in and I don’t care what you think. He’s changed and I trust him.”

“You trust him? You  _ trust _ him!? After everything he put you through Andrew?! He almost killed you! I almost lost you because of him! He’s not better than any of them!”

“You know he’s right Andrew. Neil was cruel to you and you shouldn’t just forgive him because he’s changed,” Kevin said, watching the twins as they got angrier.

Rose cried louder now; her dinner forgotten on her plate. She got down from her chair and went around the table to Andrew, who picked her up. She cried into his shoulder, sobbing loudly. “I-I don’t… Want N-Neil to leave!” She sobbed heartbrokenly. Andrew stood up and held her even closer.

“I think you should leave. Now.”

“Gladly,” Aaron hissed as he stood up from the table and went to get his coat and shoes. “ _ Kevin! _ ” he growled, making Rose cry even louder. Kevin stood from the table and went around it. He pressed a kiss to Rose’s hair, a form of apology before he went out to the front door and left with Aaron.

Andrew held Rose tighter, his eyes wide as he stared into nothing. His shirt was soaked from Rose’s tears. He stood there, in the silence, only Rose’s tears filling out the silence of their apartment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	9. Heal and progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew tells Neil what happened, and Aaron and Kevin show up unannounced at their place and Aaron give Neil a piece of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> Only 2 chapters left after this!
> 
> This is a short chapter, I'm sorry about that. Aaron verbally attacks Neil in this chapter. There's mention of selfharm in this, but nothing graphic. 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

“He  _ what? _ Don’t tell me he said that.”

Neil had just gotten home from his dinner with Matt and Dan and Andrew had just gotten Rose to calm down and sleep. He was sitting on the couch, already halfway through his third glass of wine and still upset after Aaron and Kevin had compared Neil to Drake, to every foster father that had ever hurt him. Neil was not like them; Neil hadn’t hurt him repeatedly. Neil had hurt him once, but for Kevin and Aaron that was more than enough to hate him.

“He did. And he then wanted you to move out because if you left me again, I would definitely die this time around.”

“Andrew,” Neil said. He walked over to the couch, dropping his bag next to it and sitting down on the edge, as far away from Andrew as the couch allowed him to. “I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. But… If you want me to leave, I’ll leave.” He looked at Andrew with a look that couldn’t be described as anything other than  _ hurt _ and  _ sad _ . He stared at Neil as every possibility went through his head. He could break up with Neil and ask him to leave and break all of their hearts’. He could ask Neil to leave and possibly hurt Neil. Or he could ask Neil to stay and prove Aaron and Kevin wrong. He put his wine glass down on the table and inched closer to Neil.

“Come here Neil,” he said, patting the empty space between them. Neil slid into the space and Andrew pulled him in. He wrapped his arms around Neil’s narrow shoulders. He rested his head against Neil’s chest, just holding him close. He sunk further into the couch when Neil wrapped his arms around him and held him close, one hand buried in his blonde hair. Neither of them said anything, Neil simply held Andrew close until he felt ready to speak.

“You aren’t going anywhere Neil. I just got you back, even though you’ve been in my life for years. They can’t just… come here and tell me how to live my life. I’m an adult. A parent. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Andrew… I did hurt you. Badly,” Neil admitted, and Andrew knew Neil had, but that had been fifteen years ago. Andrew had gone from believing he would never see Neil again, to seeing Neil with his daughter in her classroom. “And the sensible thing to do is to break up so you can move on and Rose can grow up with a happy father. It’s the sensible thing to do, and yet I don't want to leave.”

“You aren’t going anywhere Neil. I won’t let you leave me again.” The sound of Andrew’s voice was muffled by Neil’s shirt, so he had to strain his ears to catch every word Andrew said.

Neil stared at Andrew. Andrew wasn’t looking at him, his face pressed into Neil’s sternum. Neil pressed his face into Andrew’s hair, taking in the scent of red wine and what Neil guessed was chicken and curry.

“Then I won’t leave.” Andrew relaxed against Neil, his eyes closing and his breathing evening out as Neil rubbed his back. He was relieved that Neil wasn’t going to leave. Andrew would kill for Neil; he would kill Neil’s mother if she wasn’t already dead. He would have killed Neil’s father as well for putting Neil’s life at risk.

Andrew doesn’t remember falling asleep against Neil, but when he woke up, the sun had set and he had a blanket wrapped around him. He was still on the couch, his head on Neil’s chest, but he looked over and saw Rose sleeping on the other side of Neil, clutching his arm. Her duvet was wrapped tightly around her, indicating that Neil had moved when Rose woke up. He glanced over at the clock and realized that it was only a little past 3AM. He sighed, resting his head on Neil’s chest again. He reached over and carefully ran his fingers through Rose’s blonde hair. He could hear a soft sigh leave her, before he felt Neil’s lips against his forehead.

“Sleep Drew,” Neil mumbled above him. He must be in a terrible position, Andrew though when he noticed how Neil was resting his feet on the coffee table. He carefully pulled his hand back from Rose’s hair and sat up. He looked down and noticed how Rose was curled in on herself on the other side of Neil.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said before he shook the blanket off of him. He stepped over Neil’s legs and proceeded to pick up Rose. He carried her to their bedroom and put her down on the bed. He got into his own pajamas and went to brush his teeth, while he waited for Neil. When he was done Neil was in the bedroom, changing into his own pajamas pants and a t-shirt. While Neil was in the bathroom, Andrew picked Rose up and put her between Neil and Andrew’s respective sides of the bed. He laid down and pulled Rose close to him. He kissed her hair and buried his nose in it. Neil laid down on the other side of her, his arm reached over and carefully brushed his hand over Andrew’s arm, his lips pressed into the back of Rose’s head.

“It’ll be okay Drew.”

Andrew wanted to believe him, but it was hard right away. He watched as Neil fell asleep, cradling Rose against his chest. It took hours before Andrew fell asleep again and Rose was stirring next to him. He could hear Rose whisper;

“ _ Daddy still sad?” _

It broke his heart to know Rose had seen him upset and it made him want to throttle Aaron to have put Rose in that position. But he relaxed when Neil whispered back:

“ _ Yeah, daddy’s still sad, but I’ll take care of you yeah? We’ll let daddy sleep and relax today.” _

_ “Okay. We let daddy sleep.” _

He felt Rose get up and turn towards him. She leaned over him and pressed her soft lips against his cheek.

“Sleep well daddy,” She whispered and Andrew’s heart swelled at the gentle, caring girl he had raised, “I love you daddy.”

He fell asleep with those words echoing through his head. He didn’t go to work that day. He had sent his boss a text while he watched Rose and Neil sleep. He spent the entire day in bed, falling in and out of sleep. He could hear Neil and Rose’s quiet voices through the door and it always lulled him back to sleep. When he woke up around dinner time, he found Rose playing on Neil’s tablet.

“What are you playing baby?” he rasped softly, his head emerging from the covers.

“Drawing,” Rose said with as much seriousness she could muster. Andrew figured she would show him the drawing, if she was drawing, when she was ready, but it didn’t stop him from raising an eyebrow when she didn’t say anything else. He sat up next to her, rubbing his eyes.

“Where’s Neil?”

“Kitchen,” she said but otherwise remained quiet until she added, “Making dinner.”

Andrew leaned over and kissed her head, “Thanks sweetie,” he said and crawled off the bed. He stretched, then made a quick detour to the bathroom before he went to the kitchen where Neil was cooking dinner. He walked up to him and wrapped his arms around Neil’s waist from behind. He rested his head against Neil’s shoulder. He was sure Neil was smiling, if the gentle swaying wasn’t an indication. Neither of them said anything and neither did Rose when she joined them ten minutes later. She pushed the tablet against Andrew’s hand, making him take it. He looked at the screen and smiled softly. He let go of Neil and picked Rose up, sitting her on his hips as she buried her head in Andrew’s shoulder.

He glanced down at the digital drawing – a drawing of the three of them, holding hands in front of a house and Rose’s childish handwriting saying, ‘ _ I love you daddy’.  _ He looked up at Neil, who had turned around to watch the two of them. “Can you print this?”

“Yeah. I’ll print it tomorrow,” he said, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Andrew looked up at Neil, looked at the stupid happy smile that was painting his face. He leaned up and kissed the smile away.

Andrew hadn’t talked to Aaron or Kevin for two weeks. He was still angry at them for discrediting his relationship with Neil. After their failed family dinner Andrew had stayed home for one day and the next day he worked from home. Neil had taken Rose with him to school once Rose was sure her dad was okay and wasn’t going to stay in bed all day again. As Neil had promised, he printed the digital drawing Rose had made on his tablet. It was now framed and sitting on Andrew’s desk at work.

Neil had the day off from work and it was weird to pick Rose up from school now that he was dating him. He was used to Neil being there now when he picked her up. Rose talked animatedly about her day. He was so busy listening to Rose talk, that he didn’t notice Aaron and Kevin’s car parked in front of their building. He unlocked the door and Rose was already halfway up when Andrew had checked the mailbox. Rose waited patiently by the front door for Andrew to unlock it, but before he reached the landing he could hear the shouting from the inside. He ran up the last flight of stairs and unlocked the door. It was Aaron who was yelling.

“—you  _ left _ him! You have no right to waltz into his life and expect him to just  _ accept _ you back! You didn’t watch as he fell apart Neil. You didn’t have to pick him up and hope he didn’t kill himself during the nights when he would remember you and your  _ stupid  _ face,” Aaron spat. Neil stood in the middle of the dining room, Aaron, and Kevin in the living room. Neil didn’t look affected by Aaron’s yelling. He just stood there; arms crossed over his chest while Aaron paced the room. Kevin was sitting on the couch, his hands folded on his lap. He was staying out of the conversation, knowing how quickly Aaron’s temper could run away with him.

“Andrew shouldn’t have allowed you back into his life. Into Rose’s life. You had to  _ leave _ because it was bringing all of our lives in danger. What about now? Are  _ our _ lives still in danger or have you stopped attracting bad people who want to kill you?” Andrew placed his hands over Rose’s ears, but it was too late. She bolted forward and when she hit Neil’s legs, she wrapped her arms around his thighs. Neil looked down surprised when Rose suddenly clung to him. He caught Andrew’s eyes at the doorway, his brows knitted together as if he wanted to say, ‘ _ you’re home early. _ ’ Andrew shrugged and Neil picked Rose up and put her on his hip. “You’re only going to hurt them. Andrew can’t handle losing you one more time Neil. It will break him. And if you break him… I swear to god I will hunt you down and make your death look like an accident.”

“ _ No! _ ” Rose shrieked, making Aaron jump on the spot. He had been so focused on yelling at Neil he hadn’t heard the front door being opened and closed. He hadn’t heard Rose run up to Neil, not until she shrieked in his arms. “I want him in! He make daddy happy!” They all stared at the tiny girl in Neil’s arms. “He make  _ me _ happy!” There were tears in her eyes now and Andrew wanted nothing more than to step up to her and Neil and hug them both and protect them from Aaron’s wrath. “No killing!”

“Aaron. I have no intention to hurt Andrew or Rose. I mean I never expected Rose to be Andrew’s kid. I thought she was yours Aaron, because you were the most straight of the three of you in high school,” Neil said and missed how Aaron looked angrier than before, his lips curled into a snarl. “I mean I knew Andrew were still in town from how I kept seeing him at the annual Halloween party at Eden’s twilight—”

“And on the night Rose was born,” Andrew interjected.

“That night too, but I thought that would be all I would ever get from Andrew. I liked Andrew when I was a teen. I love him now as an adult. If I ever hurt him or Rose, I’ll never let myself forget it. I love them. They’re my family and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t safe. The person who wanted to kill me is dead, you don’t have to worry.”

Aaron deflated from Neil’s statement. Aaron still wasn’t hooked on the idea of Neil and Andrew being in a relationship but there was no stopping it. And Andrew was happier now that the final piece of the puzzle was back. He stepped up to Neil and Rose, watching Neil with an unconvinced look on his face. “I’ll say it again Neil: If you ever hurt him or Rose, I will make your death look like an accident.”

Aaron stepped back the same time Andrew stepped forward and looped an arm around Neil’s waist, pulling him and Rose close. He looked up at Neil, who had his nose buried in Rose’s hair for comfort – both for his and for Rose’s comfort. He pressed a kiss to Rose’s forehead, then he pressed a kiss to Neil’s cheek.

The tension had left the room when Aaron was pleased with the answer Neil had given him.

“I’m going to order pizza,” Aaron said as he flopped onto the couch next to Kevin who made a protesting noise at the mention of pizza. The mention of pizza also made Rose perk up from her saddened state. “Yes Kevin, you have to eat pizza too.”

“At least buy a fat free, sugarless, wholegrain pizza with lots of vegetable.”

The sound of a pizza like almost made them all gag simultaneously.

“Can I have a piz’a too?” Rose asked and they all smiled. Andrew reached up and pushed a piece of her hair behind her hair.

“Yes baby girl, you can have pizza too,” Andrew said, and Rose made a whooping noise that sounded so much like the whooping Neil did when he won a game or his favorite Exy team scored.

This was his family and Andrew wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it this far! 
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	10. Marry you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew wants to spend the rest of his life with Neil, but he needs the perfect ring and the perfect suit, because Neil can't dress himself to save his life. Andrew takes Aaron to pick up the rings and suits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> I'm sorry I lied, but I had to add a chapter to the list, so instead of 11 chapters, there will be 12! so now there's only 2 chapters left after this!
> 
> This is a long chapter, but we get some brother bonding time in this chapter and over all, it's very sweet.  
> Andrew also knows his greek gods :') 
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

“Come by for beer and pizza tomorrow. Neil’s having a parent-teacher conference, so he won’t be home until late,” Andrew told Aaron over the phone a week later. They had been on good terms and Aaron was coming around the idea of Neil being in their lives. Aaron had yelled at Kevin afterwards for staying quiet during his rant, but as Kevin had put it ‘ _ I know I was there when shit hit the fan, but he’s your brother, Aaron. You’ve known him for longer. I’m just your boyfriend. We aren’t related, even if we have been boyfriends for twelve years.’ _

It made sense what Kevin said, because he wasn’t Andrew’s family, not biologically anyways. Sure Kevin was Andrew’s best friend, but he wasn’t his brother. He had no place in telling Andrew how to live his life and neither did Aaron, but Andrew could tolerate Aaron yelling at him better than Kevin’s shouting matches. Kevin had done it once and it had ended with a sprained wrist and bruised ribs.

“ _ Don’t you have to be at that meeting?”  _ Aaron asked on the other end of the line. Andrew could hear rustling in the background, but he couldn’t identify the things he was rustling with, most likely the ever-present pile of papers on his desk.

“No, it’s for a different class than Rose’s, so I  _ don’t _ have to be there,” Andrew said as he picked up his coat from his desk and made his way out to his car. “I could, but I don’t want to and besides, I have plans that require me to be home.”

“ _ Should I bring Kevin?”  _ Andrew could hear Aaron being called over the speakers in the background. ‘ _ Doctor Minyard to Trauma room one. Doctor Minyard to Trauma room one.’ _ There must have been a head trauma for Aaron to get paged over the speaker system so insistently.

“If you want him to tell Neil about my evil plan, then by all means yes bring Kevin. Oh but he can’t. He has a date with Rose tomorrow. It’s his turn to take her swimming.” Rose had begun to take swimming lessons twice a week at the indoor swimming pool and she was enjoying it, because some of her classmates were there too. It was nice because on the days Kevin or Aaron took her, he and Neil finally had some alone time, and often Rose would come home too tired to protest or ask for a movie.

“ _ Fine. I won’t bring Kevin. I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow Andrew.” _ Aaron hung up after that and Andrew went to pick up Rose and Neil from school.

Rose jumped into Andrew’s arms when she saw him outside the school, he hoisted her up and kissed her cheek while she talked excitedly about her day at school. He kissed Neil when he was close enough for Andrew to pull him near and Neil smiled goofily. Rose made an ‘ _ ew _ ’ sound and tried to push their heads away from each other.

“Ready to go home?” he asked them. Neil nodded and Rose said ‘ _ yes! _ ’ excitedly before she continued to talk about all the things she had done today at school. They were having a Greek themed month, so they had watched Disney’s Hercules and then made a paper collage about the movie. It was clear that Rose was just as excited about this as Neil was.

Andrew didn’t cook for Aaron the next day. He ordered pizza and put a six-pack of beers in the fridge, so they would be cold when his twin arrived at his apartment. Kevin had picked Rose up at 5:15PM and Neil was expected to be home before 8PM, but that could change depending on how the meeting went. Aaron knocked at exactly 5:45PM, then used his key to unlock the door.

“Hey!” he called into the apartment. He toed off his shoes and hung his jacket by the door before he locked the door and went to the living room where Andrew was lounging on the couch, a large pizza box on the coffee table. “I thought you were cooking.” Andrew raised an eyebrow and grabbed a can from the table and tossed it to Aaron, who caught it.

“No. I’m not cooking. I never said anything about cooking, I only said ‘ _ dinner’ _ ,” he said, and Aaron had to agree with him. “I need your help with something.”

“What?” Aaron said as he opened the can. He took a sip and sat down on the couch next to Andrew, who tossed a magazine into his lap. He picked it up and looked at the front page. A wedding magazine. “A wedding magazine? I didn’t take you for the married kind of man.”

“I want to marry Neil. And I need everything to be perfect,” Andrew said. He took a piece of pepperoni pizza from the box. He stayed silent as he ate the slice, giving Aaron time to figure it out on his own.

“You want me to help you find a ring for Neil? What makes you think I can choose a ring? I’m not the one wanting to marry the guy,” Aaron said, tossing the magazine back into Andrew’s lap before taking his own slice of pizza from the box. Andrew knew Aaron was right, but that wasn’t why he had invited Aaron over.

“No, you would rather see Neil killed, tossed into the river Styx and then forever punished in the depths of Tartarus for what he did to me when we were teens.” Andrew said with a deep sigh. His twin stared at him with a deep frown on his face. “It’s Greek month at school. Neil has been reading up a lot on Greece and the Greek Gods.” Aaron’s frown was replaced by a shrug before he devoured his slice. “I invited you over, because I want you to go with me to the store to pick up the ring. And then help me find a suit.”

Aaron was stunned into silence, but that could also be because his mouth was full of pizza. He washed the pizza down with a gulp of beer, effectively making him cough when he inhaled the beer rather than drinking it. “You—” he coughed, hitting his own chest as he gasped for breath. “You want _ me _ to help you find a suit? For your wedding?” he wheezed. Andrew rolled his eyes because he knew Aaron would ask why he hadn’t called Kevin, because Kevin was his best friend.

“Yes, you. Kevin can’t keep a secret to save his life, so it was either you or Rose. And while I love my daughter more than I love anything else, she has no fashion sense.”

“She’s four Andrew. You can’t expect her to have a fashion taste yet—”

“Regardless, I chose you because I know you can keep a secret to save your life. I already know what ring I want to propose to Neil with and what kind of wedding band, but I need a suit and Neil needs a suit, because god forbid he shows up at Court in jeans, a band t-shirt and worn down vans.”

Aaron stared at Andrew as he talked because Andrew never rambled, except for the times he was especially nervous, and rightly so because Neil was his first and only long lasting relationship. He wanted to marry Kevin as well, seeing how they had been together for twelve years and gay marriage was legal now, but he still hadn’t found just the right ring for Kevin (and Kevin have not proposed him yet). They discussed what they all would be wearing for Andrew and Neil’s wedding, down to the details. After a few sibling banters over the color scheme, they decided that Andrew and Kevin would be in black suits, with a purple vest and a grey tie. Aaron would be wearing a grey suit with a black vest and a purple shirt. Rose would be wearing a purple dress, most likely because Andrew already had it hanging in his closet.

They had devoured three-quarters of the pizza and two beers each during their talk and they hadn’t realized just how late it really was until there was a jingle of keys from the front door and a lock turned. Andrew promptly grabbed the magazine from the couch and pushed it under the cushions to hide it while Aaron grabbed the remote and turned on the tv at a random channel.

“I’ll help you. Just text me the—”

“Saturday, 10AM. I’ll pick you up, remember: do not tell Kevin.” Andrew said, his voice low as Neil and Kevin rounded the corner to the living room. Kevin was carrying a sleeping Rose in his arms.

“Hi,” Neil said, a small smile tugging at his lips. He put his bag down by the couch and went over to sit between Andrew’s legs. He leaned in and kissed him, before Kevin put Rose in his lap. He wrapped his arms around him and held her close.

“Ready to go?” Kevin asked Aaron and he nodded. He leaned over and kissed the back of Rose’s head, then got up. He went out to the front door and got on his shoes and jacket before he poked his head into the living room before he left. “I’ll see you Saturday Andrew.”

Andrew nodded at his twin and Neil asked with a confused look; “What happens on Saturday?”

“Wholesome twin bonding time. And Neil and Rose bonding time,” Andrew replied as he got out from behind Neil and stood up. He picked up Rose and carried her off to bed. He would have to shower her in the morning to rinse the smell of chlorine out of her hair properly. He dressed her in her favorite night dress, kissed her goodnight before he joined Neil on the couch again. He had eaten the last of the pizza and was sipping Andrew’s lukewarm beer. He laid down behind Neil and wrapped a lazy arm around his waist, Neil had changed the channel to an Exy game while Andrew was putting Rose to bed, but Andrew didn’t care. He hadn’t watched whatever Aaron had put on when Neil had come home. Neil put the can down and laid down in Andrew’s arms.

Andrew kissed the back of Neil’s neck and Neil scooted down enough for him to turn around and kiss him. They both fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from a long day.

Andrew left 9:30AM Saturday morning. Neil had gotten up at 5 to go on his daily run around the neighborhood and he brought home bread and Danishes from the bakery Andrew liked so much. He was still in bed with Rose when Andrew left — she had woken up when Neil returned home at 6 with breakfast. Andrew had been awake since Neil left the bed, a bad habit, but they got to eat breakfast together before Neil showered. Andrew did the dishes, then crawled into bed with Rose when he was done. Neil joined them in bed after his shower and they watched TV until they fell asleep again.

He parked the car in front of Aaron and Kevin’s apartment building at 9:57AM, before grabbing his phone from the passenger seat and text Aaron that he was parked in front of the building now. Five minutes later Aaron was sitting next to Andrew and they were on their way to the jewelry store to pick up the rings.

“Are you nervous?” Aaron asked, even though Andrew was sure he knew the answer to the question without having to ask. He glanced at his twin; his gaze bored.

“What do you think Aaron? Have you ever seen me nervous?” he asked, his gaze returning to the road ahead of him.

“Only when Rose was born. And several times before she was born. You got nervous whenever Addison would gasp or get a fever or a cough. Even when you moved to Quantico for FBI training you were nervous. You had me pledge a promise to protect her and Rose until you returned to South Carolina. I’ve seen you nervous lots of times but this… proposing to Neil? It has your nerves frayed.”

“Of course I’m nervous. Neil has the opportunity to say no and ruin my life once more, but Neil hasn’t been giving me a reason to think he would say no. He has been amazing with Rose and we’re adults. There’s no one trying to kill him, no one trying break us apart,” he said, parking the Maserati in front of the store. He stared at the steering wheel. “I often wonder what Addison would say. If she would like Neil or if she would despise him like you do.”

Aaron was quiet, but Andrew was right. He did despise Neil, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want Andrew to be happy and Neil made Andrew happy. Happier than Andrew had been since Rose was born. Rose had helped a lot to improve Andrew's ever present grumpy look, because he had learned how to smile when Rose was born. He had to smile, because not smiling to a baby could do more harm than good, and Andrew wasn’t about to break the only good thing in his life before her life even had begun.

“She would love him, Andrew. He makes you happy and believe it or not, that was one of her main concerns. If you would be happy or if you would be this… forever grumpy, lonely man telling kids to get off of your lawn.” Andrew snorted because that was so very Addison. “She would shovel talk him to death then she would hug him and tell him all about you crying when you saw Titanic together. Heck, she might even have set you two up, because that’s the kind of person she was. It sucks she had to die before she even had a chance to see how good you are with Rose and how happy you are with Neil. Fuck, she might even have married Neil before you.” That got a little airy laugh from Andrew, even though it sounded more like a huff than a laugh.

“You’re right. She would probably have threatened to marry Neil before I even got my head out of my ass.”

They both laughed now – Andrew in short huffs and Aaron in a fit of giggles. They sat there until they both stopped laughing.

“Let’s go,” Andrew said, then got out of the car and Aaron followed. He stepped inside, the bell on the door rang as he opened the door. The sales assistant stood behind the counter as Andrew approached her, he looked quickly at the rings in the display case then pointed at a ring and said; “That one.” The sales assistant hadn’t even gotten the chance to introduce herself before Andrew had told her what ring he wanted. She pulled it out of the display case and held it out for Andrew to see. He took it as Aaron stepped up beside him.

“It’s pretty. Very… Neil like,” he said, gesticulating with his hands as he spoke. Andrew looked at him with a raised brow.

The ring was a simple titanium, but on the inside it was painted in purples and blues and tiny white dots, reminding him of Neil’s fox tattoo. He looked at Aaron as if he had offended him. “It’s gorgeous Aaron. It’s not my fault Kevin hasn’t proposed to you yet,” he said and turned his gaze to the lady, ignoring Aaron’s quiet anger. He handed the ring back to the lady and said; “I called about this ring a couple of days ago. They should have been put aside for me. Name’s Andrew Minyard.”

The lady nodded and put the ring back into the display, before she moved to the back of the store. Andrew couldn’t help but notice how Aaron kept looking at rings with a hopeful look in his eyes. The sales assistant came back with the rings and he tried on his. He knew Neil’s size, because Rose made a paper ring in class for Neil once.

“How does it fit?” she asked as Andrew had been quiet for a while.

The ring sparkled in the light. It was a perfect fit and it looked perfect against his pale skin. “It’s perfect,” he said. The lady smiled as Andrew took the ring off and put it back in the box. “I also want to order two titanium wedding bands. I’ll call tomorrow with the things I need engraved.” He pulled out his wallet. He paid for the rings and put the box into his breast pocket. He turned around and walked over to Aaron. “Taking things into your own hands?”

“Well I can’t expect Kevin to get his head out of his ass, can I?” Andrew snorted.

“It’s Kevin. He’ll only get his head out of his ass long enough for you to fuck him, but you could try to pray to God’s. Hera or Hymenaios.”

“Hymen—what?”

“Hymenaios. God of weddings, reception and marriage. I think he went by Hymen for short,” Andrew said as he stepped out of the store and went a couple of hundred feet to the next store. “You need to broaden your horizons Aaron. Learn some new things.”

“You need to stop quizzing Neil about his work, that’s what you should do. You can’t stuff anymore random crap into your head.”

Andrew turned around and watched his brother closely. “Try me,” he said, and Aaron groaned and put his head in his hands. They walked into the clothing store where Andrew had ordered four suits. One for each of them. Aaron stared as the grey suit and Kevin’s suit as well were handed to him. It was handmade, the fabric was nice and of good quality. 

“Andrew… We can pay for our own suits,” Aaron said, looking at his twin with a surprised look evident on his face. “You don’t have to pay.” Andrew paid without blinking and without sparing his twin another glance.

“I have more than enough money Aaron, I don’t need to pray to Plutus for money,” he said, and Aaron stared at him once more.

“Plutus?”

“Greek God of wealth. Seriously Aaron, don’t you know anything about the Greek Gods?” Aaron groaned again, just deeper than when they had entered the store. Andrew patted Aaron on the back and then they were on their way home. He dropped Aaron off at his apartment first.

“I’ll text you later what he replies.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Tell the idiot I said hi.”

Aaron scoffed. “I will. Good luck,” he said as he closed the door and watched as Andrew took off towards his own apartment.

That night Andrew made them a roast for dinner, potatoes, vegetables, and red wine sauce. For Rose he made homemade chicken nuggets shaped as dinosaurs with tomato sauce made from scratch. He hadn’t really thought about how he was going to propose to Neil, but he had some time to think about it when he came home. Neil had left a note, saying that they had gone to the playground for a couple of hours and would be home in time for dinner.

He rushed down to the grocery store and bought what he needed to make a good dinner for the three of them. An hour into cooking, Neil and Rose came home. Rose came into the kitchen and handed Andrew a bag of ice cream from his favorite place with a smile on her face. He kneeled down in front of her and kissed her cheek. “Thanks baby.”

“Welcome!” she beamed and ran into the living room and grabbed Neil’s tablet to play on.

He stood back up and carried the ice cream to the freezer. He put it in and then went to kiss Neil.

“Did you have a nice day?” Neil asked as he wrapped his arms around Andrew’s neck.

“Mmh. Aaron thinks you’re stuffing my head with worthless crap.”

“Well, it’s not my fault you have a sticky brain that takes in every piece of information.” He kissed Andrew’s nose, then let him finish cooking.

He called for them when the dinner was done. He plated everything to perfection, even Rose’s chicken nuggets were placed perfectly.

Rose talked about their day, ignoring her mouth full of food. She did it even when Andrew and Neil told her not to, but she was too excited because she had gotten to play with some new kids at the playground. She was halfway through her nuggets when she noticed something shiny on her plate. She pulled out the ring Andrew had hidden in her food.

“Daddy? What’s this?” she asked and held the ring out for Andrew to see.

Andrew shrugged, feigning ignorance. “I don’t know baby. What do you think it is?” he asked, looking over at Neil next to Rose. Neil put his fork down and grabbed the napkin. He dried his hands off then held his hand out for the ring. His eyes widened when he noticed what kind of ring it was.

“That’s an engagement ring,” he said, his gaze fixed on Andrew as he said. “What…? Andrew, what’s going on?”

“I know we’ve only just recently begun to date, begun to be a couple, but I can’t imagine a life without you. I’ve had a life without you, and I don’t want it. It almost killed the first time, I’m not sure I would survive another time.” He stood up and walked around the table. He carefully took the ring from Neil’s hand and cleaned it off in a clean napkin from the kitchen island. He kneeled and Rose’s eyes widened. “Neil… My life never felt complete when you left. You left and took something from me with you and when Rose was born, she brought it back in some sense. But when you returned… When you came back into my life,  _ our _ lives, I felt truly and utterly complete. You complete our family and Neil… I love you more than I know how to describe.” He held the ring out between his fingers, the titanium glistening in the light. He looked up and saw the unshed tears in his eyes. “Neil Josten... Will you marry me?”

He could hear the air leave Neil’s lungs. He could see the tear run down his cheeks, before there was a soft nod.

“Yes.” A whisper. “Yes.  _ Yes _ , I’ll marry you Andrew.” He flung himself at Andrew and Rose looked at them, her hazel eyes huge.

“Does this mean that Neil’s my dad?” she asked, and Andrew smiled as he slid the ring onto Neil’s ring finger.

“Yes it does,” he said, and Neil nodded and looked at Rose. She broke into a wide grin, before she flung herself at them, hugging them both.

Andrew smiled. He truly smiled because his family was now complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it this far! 
> 
> Andrew talked about [Hymenaios](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymen_\(god\)) and [Plutus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutus) in this chapter!
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	11. Rose and the nutcracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Neil celebrate getting engaged and they make some big decisions about their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> WARNING - SMUT AHEAD. DON'T READ IF SMUT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE OR ARE UNDER 18. 
> 
> Andrew and Neil decide to celebrate their engagement and Rose has a nightmare that will forever scare her and they make some BIG decisions about their common future!
> 
> Thank you for reading so far! ♥️

It took a while before Rose wanted to go to bed. They watched two Barbie movies in a row, which Barbie movies Rose didn’t care, she just wanted to spend time with her dad and Neil. It wasn’t often they had time to watch two Barbie movies back to back, because Rose was more often than not asleep by the end of the first one. However, Andrew just wanted to tuck Rose in, then take a shower with Neil. Maybe he would sink to his knees and take Neil’s cock in his mouth. Maybe he would let Neil jerk him off before he would get Neil off. He got up and was ready to go take a cold shower when Neil gently tugged at Andrew’s sleeve. He looked down at Neil and noticed Rose was fast asleep against him.

“I’ll put her to bed,” Neil said. Andrew was secretly grateful for Rose’s timing. He bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then stood back up.

“Okay. Meet me in the bathroom when you have tucked her in.” Neil blushed crimson red and nodded. He got up with Rose in his arms and carried her off to bed. Andrew watched them for a second before he went to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and made sure the water was the right temperature before he undressed. He stepped under the water, closing the shower curtain behind him as Neil opened the door to the bathroom.

Neil undressed, tossing his dirty clothes into the hamper.

“Can I join you?” Neil asked. Andrew rolled his eyes. He pulled the curtain aside again so he could see Neil standing in front of the shower. His half hard cock already on display.

“I told you to join me Neil, you don’t have to ask,” he said as the redhead stepped over the small step into the shower niche and closed the curtain behind him. He wrapped his arms around Andrew’s neck and Andrew placed his hands on Neil’s hips and pulled him closer. Neil slid his hands into Andrew’s wet hair and pulled him down for a deep kiss. Andrew didn’t mind because it was exactly what he needed. Neil had said yes to marry him and he was over the moon. One of his hands slid up Neil’s back and up his arm, until his fingers wrapped around Neil’s wrist and slowly put his hand on his chest before he dragged Neil’s hand down over his chest and over his stomach, until Neil got the hint.

“Is… that okay?” he asked, his palm pressed firmly against Andrew’s hip.

Andrew rolled his eyes. Of course this was okay, it was the only thing he had wanted since Neil said yes. “Neil. Would I have invited you into the shower if I didn’t want this?” Neil shook his head. “Would I have taken your hand and put it on my chest and stomach?” Neil shook his head again. “Good.” His fingers let go of Neil’s wrist and the redhead moved his hand downward, slowly inching closer to Andrew’s cock. He pulled Neil in for another deep kiss.

Andrew gasped when the tips of Neil’s fingers touched the tip of his cock, then the vein running along the underside of his cock. Thankfully, the kiss kept his quiet moans even more quiet. He didn’t want Rose to wake up, but she was a heavy sleeper when she was first asleep. Neil’s fist closed around him, moving in slow strokes, until Andrew began to thrust into his hand.

It was slow and intimate and Andrew wasn’t even remotely close until Neil broke the kiss and began to kiss Andrew’s pale neck. He sucked a hickey Andrew’s collarbone, a place where it was easy to hide it. He had sucked a hickey onto Andrew’s neck once and his colleagues hadn’t stopped teasing him about it for months. Andrew slid a hand into Neil’s hair and tugged his head back.

“Your neck fetish is not attractive,” he groaned, and Neil grinned. He began to move his hand faster, his thumb rubbing against the head with every stroke. He crashed their mouths together in another deep kiss, his tongue pushing inside of Neil’s, his lips parting at the first press. Neil’s hand went faster, it tightened ever so slightly, and it almost pushed Andrew over the edge. Andrew’s hand on Neil’s hip slid down to his ass and grabbed the plump, soft flesh, pulling him closer.

“I’m close,” he whispered against Neil’s lips and Neil’s fingers tightened around his cock once more. He bit down on Neil’s lower lip, both of them gasping. Neil moved his hand faster and with a flick of his thumb and a twist of his wrist, Andrew came against his stomach and in Neil’s hand. “ _ Fuck. _ ”

Neil brought his hand up to his mouth with a sly grin. He licked the cum off his hand and if Andrew hadn’t just cum, he would already be hard again. He sneered as he turned them around and pressed Neil against the wall. He dropped to his knees and Neil’s eyes went wide with realization. “Yes Drew,  _ Yes _ ,” he gasped and now Andrew was smirking.

“You don’t even know what I’m going to do with you.”

“I don’t care. It’s always yes with you,” Neil whispered. Andrew wanted to smash Neil’s head against the tile wall. His original plan had been to let Neil jerk him off and then he would blow Neil and call it a celebration of their engagement, but that plan flew out the window the second Neil uttered the words ‘ _ it’s always yes with you.’  _ He put his hands on Neil’s hips and flipped him around, so Neil’s chest now was pressed against the wall. A quiet hiss left Neil as his nipples were pressed against the cold tiles and Neil put his hands on the wall and pulled back a little. The titanium ring glinted in the light of the bathroom.

“That’s what you get when you’re saying ‘ _ always' _ ,” he said as he pushed Neil’s legs, widening the distance between them. He slid a hand up Neil’s back until it was pressed against Neil’s shoulder blades. His other hand grabbed Neil’s ass cheek and pulled it away from the other. He leaned in and licked a long strip from Neil’s asshole, up his perineum to his balls. Neil gasped wetly, his head tilting forward until it was pressed against the wall.

If this was what Andrew would do every time Neil said ‘ _ always’ _ he would say ‘ _ always’ _ a whole lot more. “Keep doing that,” Neil moaned and arched his back, pressing his ass against Andrew’s face. Andrew grabbed his hips and held them in place, as he began to eat Neil out more vigorously. There was no finesse and no technique, but Neil liked it. Ever since Neil found out about rimming, he had asked Andrew for it at every opportunity and he hadn’t been about to refuse, because Andrew liked to rim Neil. He pressed his tongue flat against Neil’s twitching hole, then poked at the puckered rim before he pressed past the tight ring of muscles.

A breathless gasp left the redhead when Andrew’s tongue pressed inside of him, loosening the tight ring of muscles.

“Of  _ fuck Drew, _ ” he moaned, his breath creating vapor against the cold tiles. One of Andrew’s hands snuck around Neil’s waist and wrapped around his cock. “ _ Holy fuck! _ ” Precum was dripping steadily from his cock and onto the floor. Neil wasn’t going to last like this, and Andrew knew it.

Andrew pushed his tongue deeper inside of Neil’s ass the same time he moved his hand faster around him. Neil’s hole contracted around Andrew’s tongue, it was uncomfortable, a little  _ too _ uncomfortable for Andrew so he pulled back with one last suckle to his rim.

He replaced his tongue with his fingers. They reached much farther than his tongue ever would, and the appreciative hum and the way Neil’s cock twitched in his hand told him he liked it, especially when Andrew’s fingers brushed against his prostate. He pulled them out again, then pushed them back inside just as slowly. It was driving Neil crazy. He was beginning to move his hips back against Andrew’s fingers, trying to make Andrew move them faster and harder and when Andrew didn’t do it, he whined.

What Andrew did next, made Neil’s knees shake. Andrew leaned in and licked around his fingers. As expected, Neil’s knees began to shake, what Andrew didn’t expect was the loud sound that seemed like a mix between a loud moan and a wet gasp. It only took a few more slow thrusts of his fingers against his prostate, a few more licks of his tongue to his rim, a few more pumps of Andrew’s hand before Neil cried; “I’m  _ cumming! _ ” and he came.

He came against the wall, his back arching into a deeper arch to support his shaking knees and effectively pushing his ass further against Andrew’s face. A series of babbling murmurs left the redhead while Andrew pulled back his head and his fingers out. Neil slid down the wall until he was sitting in Andrew’s lap. He wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

“I told you. You didn’t know what I had in mind for you,” he whispered into Neil’s shoulder and the redhead hummed tiredly and appreciatively when Andrew grabbed the shampoo and began to wash his hair.

Andrew couldn’t feel his legs when he finally got up from the floor in the shower niche, but he still carried Neil to bed after drying him off. He helped Neil get on a pair of boxers before he tossed his hairbrush onto the bed. He pulled on a pair of boxers himself and crawled onto the bed behind Neil. He grabbed the brush and began to untangle the curly hair in front of him. Neil almost fell asleep from having Andrew brushing his hair. He put the brush on the nightstand, too lazy to get up and put it on its rightful place on the dresser. He made sure Neil was lying down so he didn’t tilt forward and fell off the bed – he had done that once and he had ended up with a black eye and a bruised shoulder – before he grabbed the jewelry box on his nightstand and put on his own identical engagement ring. He looked down at Neil and couldn’t help but smiling a little. He laid down and pulled Neil close, even if he was half asleep already.

“Sleep well An’rew,” Neil mumbled as he got comfortable with his head on Andrew’s chest. Andrew hummed and pressed his lips into Neil’s damp hair.

“Sleep well Neil,” he said, and Neil’s breath evened out as he drifted into sleep.

Andrew stayed awake for some time, running his hand up and down Neil’s back as he slept. He didn’t know when he had gotten so lucky. He had gotten an amazing daughter, an amazing boyfriend, who was now his fiancé. He had a good relationship with his brother and Kevin, and he was still working on his relationship with Nicky. He looked up when the door opened and Rose appeared at the door, clutching the pink rabbit Nicky had gotten for her first birthday. She sniffled, then hiccupped as she closed the door behind her. She climbed onto the bed and carefully navigated the limbs sprawled on it. She crawled in between Neil and Andrew before she climbed under their double duvet and nuzzled her nose against Andrew’s chest.

“What’s wrong baby?” he asked her. He moved his free hand to her back, carefully stroking both of their backs. A quiet sob left her, and Neil snaked his arm around them and pulled close until Rose was sandwiched between them.

“N-Nigh’mare,” she sobbed and Andrew’s heart broke. He knew he couldn’t protect her from everything, but he still wondered what gave her the nightmare.

“What made you have a nightmare?” he asked as another quiet sob left her.

“T-The Nutcrac’ker from Barbie,” she cried and clutched her rabbit closer.

Well… Nutcrackers had always been scary, so Andrew knew where she was coming from. It was also safe to assume that Rose would never watch  _ Barbie in the Nutcracker  _ ever again. “Get some sleep baby.” He pressed a kiss into her blonde hair, and she nodded, even if she didn’t stop crying. “Daddy and Neil will protect you. Don’t worry, we’ll keep the scary things away.”

It took a while before Rose finally settled down and fell asleep. When Rose was asleep, Andrew could finally drift off himself.

When he woke up the next morning it was with Rose’s hair in his mouth. He carefully removed it when he heard Neil murmur: “I want to adopt her Drew.”

He looked over at Neil, his brows furrowed as he tried to figure out what made Neil say that. He rubbed his eyes and carefully pushed himself up on his elbows. “What makes you say that?” he sounded like he was still half asleep, which he was. Neil smiled at him and brushed a lock of hair away from Rose’s face.

“I had a dream where she was my kid too. She was calling you daddy and me papa. It made me realize that I want her to be my daughter. She could’ve been if I hadn’t left. She deserves to have two parents, and you know… She called me  _ papa _ yesterday at the playground.”

Andrew stared at Neil as he spoke. Rose had called Neil  _ papa _ . Rose was seeing Neil as her other parent and it made him so incredibly happy. He leaned over Rose’s still sleeping body to kiss Neil.

“I mean only if you are okay with it Drew. She’s your daughter. I’m not about to take that away from you and if you decide that you don’t want me to—"

“Okay. We’ll talk to a lawyer about it,” he said, cutting off Neil’s rambling speech. Neil surged forward to kiss him again.

“Are you sure?”

“One-hundred-and-twenty percent Neil.”

Neil was right. Rose did deserve two parents. Two happy parents, who only had Rose’s best interests in mind. He grabbed his phone and sent the jewelry store an email that he would get back to them with the engraving of the wedding rings.

Monday morning Andrew talked to a lawyer. He had the day off, so there was plenty of time to find a good and honest lawyer for this. She said that since it was a stepparents-stepchild adoption, there were a lot of steps they didn’t have to go through and that the process could be handled within a few weeks, but she still wanted to meet with them and talk this through.

They met at her office the following Thursday when Neil had a short day at work. They told her that Neil was actually Rose’s teacher but seeing how Neil wouldn’t be her teacher after summer break, it wouldn’t be a problem to keep private life and work separated. The lawyer was a little iffy about Neil and Andrew forming a relationship when Neil was still Rose’s teacher, but she seemed to let it slide when they told her they had known each other for fifteen years at this point, with breaks between getting in touch again. Neil told her he hadn’t known that Rose was Andrew’s daughter because Andrew had a twin brother who had been straight the last time Neil had seen him.

The lawyer wrote it all down and when she asked about the other parent, Andrew got a tight look on his face. He looked at Neil. He hadn’t even told Neil about Addison and the way she died. He reached out and took Neil’s hand into his, their fingers tangling together. He looked at the lawyer, then at Neil. He told them what had happened at the hospital the night Rose was born. That Rose’s biological mother, Addison, had died during childbirth and her family wanted nothing to do with her or Rose, so there were no parental rights to terminate. There were no grandparents to consider in that matter. It made things easier and a whole lot faster. They left the lawyer’s office with high spirits and heavy hearts as they made their way home.

When they got home Neil held Andrew close as he called Aaron to ask if they could pick Rose up from school and have her for a few hours. It had been hard on Andrew to relieve the best and the worst day of his life and he needed a couple of hours to recuperate. Aaron understood and didn’t ask any questions. Later that day when Rose came home, she cuddled up with Andrew in bed and he fell asleep with Rose in his arms. Neil smiled at the sight and took a couple of pictures he would later share with Andrew.

The lawyer contacted them a couple of weeks later with their final hearing in court, where the judge would sign the adoption papers. It was perfect. It was the day before his and Neil’s marriage, so Rose would legally be theirs when they got married. Their court date was set to Friday the 7 th of July 2017 and their wedding was on Saturday the 8 th  of July 2017. It had been hard for Andrew not to tell Rose anything about it. It hadn’t been easy on Neil either, because Rose was finally becoming his daughter as well and they just wanted to tell her about it.

Rose and Neil were on vacation from school and Andrew had a few paid off weeks of vacation, so they didn’t have to stress things with the wedding and now Rose’s upcoming adoption court date.

They dressed up nicely or as nicely as they possibly could. Rose was dressed in a purple dress with white stockings and black shoes. Andrew had braided her hair and she was looking beautiful. Andrew himself was dressed in black slacks and a dark purple t-shirt and his armbands. Neil was dressed in purple jeans and a white t-shirt, so they were kind of matching. They sat outside the judge’s office, waiting to be called in. When they did, they were met by an elderly looking woman who reminded Andrew a little of Bee. She smiled at them as they entered her chamber.

“Good morning. I’m judge Kaiser and I’ll be the one to handle your case today,” she smiled. “Is this the girl today’s all about?”

“Yes your Honor,” Andrew said and clutched Neil’s hand. He was glad Neil was holding Rose. The judge nodded and smiled at Rose.

“Do you know why you’re here today Rose?” She asked, and Rose shook her head a little. “You’re here today because I have to ask you something very important,” she said, and Rose’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Neil asked me if I could ask you, if you wanted to become his daughter.”

Her eyes lit up as she looked up at Neil. “You’ll be my papa?” she asked, and he smiled and nodded.

“I will, if you'd be my daughter?” Rose practically shrieked her reply as she wrapped her arms around Neil’s neck. He wrapped his arm securely around her waist so she wouldn’t just suddenly drop to the floor. She pulled back and looked at him.

“Will I be Rosie Josten?” she asked and looked at Neil, then at her father.

“Do you want Neil’s last name baby?” Andrew asked and Rose nodded so quickly, he was afraid her head would fall off. He looked at the judge who nodded and changed the name on the adoption papers. The judge smiled and turned the papers towards them all.

“If you would sign the papers,” she said and Andrew promptly signed where he needed to, but also corrected the last name, so it said ‘ _ Josten-Minyard’ _ and not ‘ _ Minyard Josten’, _ then Neil signed where he needed to. “You, young lady, are now Rose Addison Josten-Minyard. Your dads are very lucky to have you in their lives.” She quickly made a new set of papers with Rose’s changed name, before she sent them on their way.

Outside the courtroom Aaron and Kevin were waiting for them. They both smiled before Aaron pulled out his phone. “Let me take a picture of you. This is a big day and you all want to remember it.” It made sense, so neither Andrew or Neil protested too much. Neil adjusted Rose on his hip and they both leaned and kissed Rose’s cheeks at the same time. Rose laughed and smiled and Aaron took a couple of pictures of the happy family. After that they went out to eat at Rose’s favorite restaurant before they went home.

Tomorrow awaited an even bigger day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for making it this far! 
> 
> And thank you for all the kudos the for all the comments 🥺
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


	12. Everyone but you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the most important day of their lives and nothing can screw it up.
> 
> Until Kevin speaks up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Anna on [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler) and [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertigo) for betaing and discussing ideas for dad-drew and Neil 🥺
> 
> LAST EFFING CHAPTER. You guys... This has been an emotional journey with Anna at my side, because without her, this would probably have stayed a wip, an idea never fullfilled. I have cried, I have laughed and I have screamed and Anna had been one of my biggest supporters and always encourged me and my ideas.
> 
> This is the biggest day of their lives - their wedding
> 
> Thank you for reading this story to the end. I have more things planned for Neil and Andrew and Rose, but I don't know when I'll have time, because I have a lot of other things planned, but I'be made a series   
> ([Dadyard, Dadsten and Rose](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1832173)), so please subscribe to that for future fics about our favorite family ♥️

The day started with Nicky bursting into their apartment at the ass crack of dawn. Or more correctly, it was 6AM and they all were still asleep except for Rose, who was always awake at the ass crack of dawn. You couldn’t expect a four-year-old to sleep through the night, could you? Andrew was beginning to regret leaving a key with Nicky in case he needed a place to stay while he was in town and Nicky was  _ never _ in town without Erik. He’s eyes snapped open when Nicky opened his big mouth.

“Don’t worry! I’m here to save the day! Whatever you haven’t done, leave it to me and I’ll take care of it!” Nicky said as he slammed the door closed behind him. Tiny feet could be heard against the hardwood floors as Rose came running into the hallway from her bedroom.

“UNC’L NICKY!” Rose screamed so loud she was sure to wake up the entire apartment complex.

“ROSIE!” Nicky screamed equally as loud. Andrew was now sure the entire city had woken up by the two of them screaming at each other.

Andrew sighed deeply from where his face was pressed firmly against Neil’s sternum. He didn’t want to get up. It was too early and Nicky and Rose were too loud at 6AM. The neighbors might be annoyed with them because their neighbors weren’t awake at 6AM, none of them possessing the maniac energy that Rose seemed to inherit from Nicky’s side of the family. He pushed himself away from Neil and slowly got up. Neil sighed and whined when the door was pushed open and Nicky threw Rose onto the bed.

“Wake up papa!” Rose screeched as she jumped on the bed to wake Neil up. Neil groaned and Rose flopped down next to Neil. “No mornin’ run?” she asked, and Neil shook his head.

“Not today honey. Because daddy and I are getting married and daddy would kill me if I went for a run.”

“What if you never would have returned?” Andrew asked with a raised eyebrow. Neil rolled his eyes and smiled as he wrapped his arms around Rose and pulled her close. He pressed a hundred small kisses onto her face and Rose laughed. Andrew smiled softly as he watched the two of them fool around in bed. When he looked at Nicky, he had his phone out, taking a couple of pictures of them. He paled when he noticed Andrew staring at him.

“What?”

“You gonna delete those?” Andrew asked, his gaze both bored and dangerous at once as he went past Nicky to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Nicky let out a pathetic sound at the question. Neil and Rose looked up at Nicky at the sound.

“It’s okay Nicky,” Neil said as Rose got out from his arms. “I don’t mind. Just send them to me. Andrew will like them.” He sat up and didn’t miss the relieved face Nicky put on. Rose walked up to him and took his hand. She tugged at his hand, making him bend down so she could kiss his cheek, before she took him to the kitchen to make breakfast. He sat up and listened as Rose spoke in broken German with Nicky. Neil hadn’t been around Nicky much back when he was teen. He stayed over long enough for dinner with him, but that was about that. And they certainly hadn’t spent any time after he and Andrew had gotten together again. He smiled when Andrew came back into the bedroom.

“Are they gone?” he asked as he climbed back onto the bed. He crawled on his hands and knees until he came face to face with Neil, who was still lying down, so it was easy to straddle Neil’s hips. Neil grinned up at him once he was sitting on his lap.

“Yeah. They’re in the kitchen,” Neil said as he wrapped his arms around Andrew’s neck. He leaned in and kissed him tenderly once before there was a scream from the kitchen. They pulled back just enough to see Nicky in the doorway, tears in his eyes as he stared at them.

“You…” he said, trying to blink the tears away. “Rosie she just… She just told me that you adopted her Neil? Is that true?” Neil stared at Nicky. He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. He let go of Andrew and sat up straighter as Andrew sat back on his calves. “You… I know you did some… very bad things when you were younger. You almost broke Andrew.”

“I know. And I’m sorry for that,” Neil interjected. Andrew looked a little uncomfortable at the conversation, but there was no way they could stop Nicky once he got going.

“I wanted to kill you. That’s no secret. Aaron wanted to kill you. Kevin wanted to kill you as well and it usually takes a lot to make Kevin violent, but he wanted to hurt you because of Andrew, and by hurting Andrew, you also hurt Aaron. It was so hard to watch Andrew break down and then he had to rebuild himself without you. When he told me that you were back… I got worried, because he’s my baby cousin and I practically raise him and Aaron all by myself. But I see now that I have nothing to worry about. You did something amazing by adopting Rose.”

Neil stared at Nicky as he rambled. He didn’t think Andrew talked to Nicky all that much, but he guessed he was wrong. It was nice to know that Andrew had a good relationship with his family overseas. It was more than what Neil had with his own family. He had invited his uncle Stuart but he hadn’t given any answer so Neil was a hundred percent sure he would be a no-show.

Nicky took a step up to the bed, sat down on the edge and looked at his hands.

“Thank you, Neil. Thank you for loving them both.”

Neil smiled carefully. It was weird to be thanked for loving both Andrew and Rose because he never stopped loving Andrew. Rose was an added bonus and he didn’t even think Rose was Andrew’s kid to begin with.

“You know… I didn’t even know Rose was Andrew’s child at first. I thought she was Aaron’s because the last time I saw Aaron he was dating Katelyn and not Kevin.”

Nicky laughed. Neil didn’t know if he had said anything funny or if Nicky was laughing because he was relieved that he wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ll leave you two alone. Let me know if you need anything,” he said as he stood up and left the bedroom.

“Flowers!” Andrew called after Nicky. “We need flowers.”

“Leave the flowers to me and Rosie!” he called from the kitchen. Neil smiled at Andrew.

“At least it will keep them occupied for a while,” Neil mused before Andrew kissed him senseless. Neil smiled into the kiss and let Andrew kiss him for a while before he went to get dressed himself. Andrew stared after Neil and he realized how lucky he was to be marrying him in a couple of hours. He rose from the bed and went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Andrew wasn’t freaking out. He was certainly not freaking out. They had just arrived at the church and Rose and Nicky were missing. Well, not exactly missing but they were nowhere to be found and he might have left a few death threats on his cousin’s phone, ordering him to return with his daughter this instant or he would fling him off the roof of the church. Renee was steaming his tux because it had gotten a little wrinkled in the ride over. Neil was with Allison and God forbid if she didn’t steam his tux, he would pull Allison’s pretty blonde hair off her head. He didn’t care if she was Renee’s girlfriend. He didn’t relax until Rose showed up two hours before the wedding was about to start and he was this close to smacking Nicky when he noticed all the flowers he was carrying and the flower crown made of purple and white peonies, white and light blue hydrangeas and lavender. Nicky came over to him and placed a white peony in the lapel of Andrew’s blazer. He smiled, then placed a white hydrangea in Renee’s hair.

“There. All done. Sorry I took off with Rose without telling you, but you said you needed flowers and I wanted to surprise you,” he said as Rose climbed into her father’s chair.

“Daddy, Unc’l ‘icky made me a crown!” Rose said excitedly. She was now standing on the chair, her princess cut purple dress wide and flowy. It had black lace at the bottom and at the chest along with two gold bows – one at the chest with the lace and one at the waistline, but not without wrinkles from her impromptu flower run with Nicky. At least it wasn’t dirty. He smiled at her, then leaned down to kiss her nose softly.

“I see that baby. But right now you have to get out of your dress so aunty Renee can steam it, so you’ll look beautiful for the wedding,” he said, and Rose nodded. He carefully pulled the flower crown off her head and put it on the make up table for later. He helped her out of her dress then set up Neil’s tablet with a movie for Rose while Renee steamed her dress.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself Andrew,” Renee said as Andrew started pacing the room. The closer they got to the actual ceremony, the closer he felt to a mental breakdown. “It’s normal. You saw me and Allison at our wedding. I was a nervous wreck until I saw her at the aisle in her princess cut wedding dress with her veil and the flowers… Everything was perfect, and I knew everything else would be perfect. Don’t sweat it. Allison helped Neil find a suit that matches your color scheme and I’m sure he looks stunning.”

Just as Renee had finished steaming Rose’s dress, Nicky barged into the room. “You guys… Wait until you see Neil. Man, he looks  _ gorgeous! _ His hair, his  _ suit!  _ Man, maybe I should hire Allison for Erik and mine’s wedding. Do you think she would travel to Germany for a job, Renee?” If Andrew hadn’t wanted to throw Nicky off the roof of the church before, he sure did now because now he only could imagine Neil in his suit, his perfectly curly auburn hair, and his shiny ice blue eyes.

“I don’t see why not, as long as she gets to make all of the decisions,” Renee said, and Nicky laughed before he left them alone. She turned to Andrew with Rose’s dress. “Here. There’s an hour to the wedding. I’ll go and check on Neil. Enjoy your last hour as a free man,” she teased as she handed the dress to Andrew before she left. Andrew managed to divert Rose’s attention long enough for him to dress her and redo her hair. He put the flower crown on her head before he made sure her flower basket was ready to go. The closer to the ceremony they got, the more nervous Andrew became and when he became nervous, he paced.

“I’m surprised you haven’t jumped out the window in the bathroom yet.” Aaron stood in the doorway; his arms crossed over his chest. He was in his grey suit and a purple hydrangea in his lapel. Rose jumped up from her chair and ran over to her uncle. Aaron picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Hi princess.” Rose giggled and wrapped her arms around Aaron’s neck.

“Why would I jump out the bathroom window?” Andrew asked. He stopped pacing when Aaron spoke up from the door.

“Because you look nervous with only twenty minutes to go. Hell, even Kevin’s acting nervous and he has nothing to be nervous about.” Rose snickered into Aaron’s neck, like she knew something both of them didn’t know. They looked at her with similar expressions of concern, but none of them called her out on it with eighteen minutes to go. Aaron picked up the flower basket and hooked it over his elbows. “We’ll go and get ready. Mom will be here soon,” he said, and Andrew nodded as his twin walked out with Rose as Bee walked into the room.

“Neil’s uncle made it,” she said, and Andrew sighed in relief. It had been one of the things that had stressed Neil unnecessarily the weeks up to the wedding. He was glad Neil had some family attending the wedding.

“That’s good. Neil was worried when he didn’t reply to the invitation. I honestly want to smash his head in for not replying. He’s Neil’s only family, mom.” he said, and Bee smiled.

“I know. Allison had agreed to walk Neil down the aisle if he failed to come,” she said and smiled. Andrew cracked a smile because nine out of ten times he couldn’t stand Allison, but she was Renee’s wife and Neil’s best friend, so he had to tolerate her. One time she told him that she was honored that he had named Rose after her, but that  _ Allison _ was spelled wrong. He had given her hell for that comment and after that she called Rose ‘ _ Rose Allison Minyard’ _ until Rose got enough and yelled at Allison until she got the message that her name was ‘ _ Rose  _ Addison  _ Minyard _ ’ and Andrew had never been prouder than when Rose stood up for her name. A name he and Addison had agreed on.

“That’s Allison,” he sighed. He looked at the clock and realized it was time to go. The church wouldn’t be full, heck he and Neil didn’t even want a church wedding but Rose and Bee went to see an exhibit at this church once and Rose had said; “ _ Daddy. This church! It’s pretty!” _ and Andrew couldn’t exactly say  _ no  _ to his daughter. It was also the church Addison once had chosen for her own wedding and while Andrew wasn’t spiritual or believing in the afterlife, he knew Addison was watching today. He looked into the ceiling and took a deep breath, sent a silent prayer, and then turned his gaze to Bee. He took her arm and she followed him down the aisle to the altar, where the minister was already waiting for them. Once there, Bee kissed his cheek and then went to take her seat.

Rose stood beside him, holding his hand tightly while she looked for Neil. Aaron and Renee were standing behind him and the other side was currently empty. Kevin and Allison came down the aisle first and once they were safely placed across the altar from Aaron and Renee, Stuart and Neil appeared in the archway, and Andrew felt like his breath was being punched out of him. Allison had found the most stunning purple suit that matched Andrew’s classic black suit. The suit had the same matte look as Andrew’s and the others suits. He had a grey vest, a white dress shirt and a black tie. His auburn red hair was perfectly styled, and Allison had even put a little bit of make up on him – just enough to make his blue eyes pop. Stuart was wearing a grey suit much like they wrote on his invitation, which Andrew was glad for.

Neil and Stuart didn’t look much like each other except for full lips, perfectly sculptured noses, and their high cheekbones. Stuart leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Neil’s forehead, before he went and sat down like Bee had. Andrew held his hand out for Neil, and he took it, tangling their fingers together. He stepped up next to Andrew and smiled.

“If you would be seated,” the minister said, once Neil was at the altar with Andrew.

“You look stunning,” Andrew said. A gentle blush spread on Neil’s cheeks and he felt his own cheeks heat up in response.

“We’re all gathered here today to celebrate the relationship of Neil and Andrew and to be witnesses and supporters of the commitment they share with one another. Together we’re a group of the most important people in their lives and they’ve brought us here to publicly recognize that we’ve all played some special part in the love they share today.

“Neil and Andrew wanted me to thank you all for being here and to recognize how important each and every one of you are to their relationship. They would also like to recognize all of those who couldn’t make it here today as they are certainly missed but not forgotten on this day of celebration,” the minister said, and Andrew zoned out. Weddings had always been boring to him and whenever the minister or the priest rambled on about the bible he would promptly focus his attention elsewhere.

He wasn’t paying attention because he was busy looking at Neil and how stunning he was. He looked amazing in purple even if it clashed against his auburn hair. Now that he looked closely, Neil had gotten his  _ ear _ pierced. When had he had his  _ ear _ pierced?

“Neil and Andrew, the vows that you are about to make are a way to share your love and commitment to each other in your own words. Sometimes poems, verses and quotes just don’t get the point across the way you need them to and the best option is just to do it yourself. These vows are your way of openly declaring your promise to one another as well as to all of those who are here in attendance today,” the minister said, before she turned to Neil. “Neil, if you would go first.”

Neil fiddled with his papers. They were a little too big and it looked like he had written them in a rush just before the wedding began. He turned around so he was facing Andrew, then cleared his throat before he began to speak.

“I never thought I would live to see the day where I would get married. I didn’t think I would live to be twenty. When I first met you, I was a skittish boy living on borrowed time, a skittish boy living on lies. But I learned to love you as a teen and that was the only truth in my life. And when reality almost caught up with me, I did the only thing I knew I was good at; I ran. I ran without looking back.” He looked at Andrew and took a deep breath. “But when I saw you at the pre-school, with Rose, I knew I still loved you. I know we were meant to be together. I told you all of my lies and all of my truths and you still chose to love me and trust me with your daughter. And today marks the start of our lives and even that won’t be enough time with you.” He swallowed and Andrew could see Neil’s Adam’s apple bob. He could see the tears threatening to spill.

“I will not take our time together for granted. And because words cannot do it, I promise to show you, for the rest of my life, how much I love you. I promise to encourage you to follow your dreams. I promise to make you laugh when you are taking yourself too seriously. I promise to hold your hand through the good times and through the bad times. I promise to be loyal and faithful and to put you before all else. And I promise that when we are old and gray, we will look back on our lives together and we have no regrets. From this day forward, you will never walk alone.” Neil was crying now, and Andrew couldn’t blame him. Neil put his cards in his pocket and Andrew took his hand firmly in his.

Andrew looked down at his vows and suddenly felt scared that they would look bland next to Neil’s.

“When I first saw you, I knew you were trouble. And you were the most annoying person I had ever laid my eyes on. Letting you leave was my biggest mistake and it almost killed me when you left. You took my heart with you and only a part of it returned when Rose was born. The day you returned to me, fourteen years after you had left, the rest of my heart returned, and I promised I would never let you leave again. I promised I would protect you from everything that would hurt you. You fit right in with me and Rose and Rose loved you even before I knew you were her teacher.” He looked at Neil and Neil hadn’t stopped crying since his own vows. He squeezed his hand before he continued.

“As we continue to grow in our lives together, I promise to give you all of my words when needed, and to share in the silence when they are not, to pick you up if you are down, to love you unconditionally, to care for you and our family for as long as we live, to go on adventures with you always, to say I love you before falling asleep each night, to be the best father I can be as we grow a family together, and to always know in the deepest part of my body, that when challenges arise we will always find our way back to one another. Neil, you are my everything and this is my promise to you.” He felt a tear run down his cheek as he finished reading his vows to Neil. When he looked up at Neil, he felt a few more run down his cheeks. The minister handed them a tissue each.

“Neil and Andrew will now exchange rings to symbolize their commitment. The ring is customarily worn on the ring finger as it is the only finger with a vein running directly to the heart. The wearing of the rings is a visible, outward sign that they have committed themselves to one another. Andrew, take Neil’s hand in yours and repeat after me.” Aaron handed the ring to Andrew and Kevin to Neil.

He took Neil’s hand in his and repeated after the minister;

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love—” the minister said.

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love—” Andrew repeated.

“For today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come—"

“For today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come—"

“Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day—"

“Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day—"

“And know that my love is present—"

“And know that my love is present—"

“Even when I am not,” the minister finished.

“Even when I am not,” Andrew finished and slid the ring onto Neil’s finger. Rose clapped her tiny hands next to Aaron. The minister turned to Neil and said;

“Neil, take Andrew’s hand into yours and repeat after me.”

Neil took Andrew’s hand into his and squeezed it once.

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love—” the minister said.

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of our love—” Neil repeated.

“For today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come—"

“For today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come—"

“Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day—"

“Wear it as a sign of what we have promised on this day—"

“And know that my love is present—"

“And know that my love is present—"

“Even when I am not,” the minister finished.

“Even when I am not,” Neil finished and carefully slid the ring onto Andrew’s finger. He stared into Andrew’s moist hazel eyes. They both zoned out as the minister spoke. They were both drained, because neither one of them had poured out their feelings like this and they hadn’t really thought about how draining it would be to pour out your emotions and feeling for everyone you loved. Andrew watched as Neil dried his eyes and when he felt Rose tug at his hand, he looked down and picked her up. He put her on his hip and kissed her cheek before she reached for Neil and he took her and put her on his hip and then took Andrew’s hand back into his.

“Neil and Andrew, you have professed your love by exchanging your vows. You have symbolized your commitment by exchanging rings. And you have expressed the end of your individual lives by the pouring of the unity sand. With all of this there is just one more question I need each of you to answer and then we’re off to the reception to celebrate.” She looked at Neil, a smile splayed on her face.

“Neil – do you take Andrew to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

Neil looked at Andrew and smiled widely. Neil’s smile could light up a dark room. “I do.”

The minister then turned to Andrew. “Andrew – do you take this Neil to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”

Andrew looked at Neil and smiled a careful smile. “I do.”

The minister’s smile widened. “By the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and husband. Andrew you may now kiss Neil.”

Andrew looked at Neil and the smile that almost cracked his face. Andrew wondered if it hurt to smile that much. He leaned in at the same time as Neil did and their lips pressed together in the softest of kisses. People were cheering in the rows. Dan and Matt were cheering loudly. Bee and Stuart were both crying. David was trying not to cry, because he had been there through all of Andrew and Neil’s relationship and he was so proud of them for making it this far. There was a flash and the sound of a camera shutter closing. It was probably the only time Andrew didn’t want to throttle someone for taking a picture of him.

“Me now!” Rose said and Neil laughed. He pulled away from Neil and put her between them and they both kissed her cheeks. The flash went off again.

“It’s my great honor and privilege to be the first to present to you Mr. and Mr. Andrew Josten-Minyard!”

Andrew’s smile widened – it almost cracked his face open, but he didn’t care. Neil’s was now officially his, Rose was their daughter and Addison was looking down at them, dancing on her cloud because Andrew finally got his happy ending. Neil put Rose down and then stepped down the two small steps from the altar. When they reached the front row, Kevin stepped up to the altar and said;

“Wait. I have something I would like to say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank for making it to the end!! 
> 
> It has been a journey and I'm happy to have shared it with you all ♥️
> 
> And thank you for all the kudos the for all the comments 🥺
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!

**Author's Note:**

> I am sorry for doing that to Andrew, I promise it get's better!
> 
> And once again, a HUGE thanks to [Anna](https://mobile.twitter.com/dogintheboiler)
> 
> You can talk to me on [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/foxyroxi_writes)!


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